Abstract Summary
We performed ultrashort echo time magnetic resonance imaging (UTE-MRI) on 13 young and 10 older (>60 yrs) adults. Bicomponent exponential fits were used to characterize the bound (short decay time, T2*s) and free (long decay time, T2*l) water in the Achilles tendon. Older adults exhibited significantly longer (+54%) T2*s than young adults, which could reflect a disruption in the highly-ordered collagen structure. Older tendons also tended to exhibit a reduction in the fraction of bound water, which may result from a reduction in proteoglycan GAG side-chains in the tissue. Similar changes in UTE metrics are seen in tendinopathies.
Sign in to ORCID