mFFE MRI Versus CT for Cortical Bone Evaluation in Knee Osteoarthritis

September 14, 2026 updated by: Fatima Mahmoud Hammad Eltony, Assiut University

Beyond Conventional MRI: Multi-Echo Fast Field Echo (mFFE) MRI for Cortical Bone Evaluation in Knee Osteoarthritis Compared With CT

This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the accuracy of multi-echo fast field echo (mFFE) MRI in depicting cortical bone changes in knee osteoarthritis compared with CT.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Detailed Description

Knee osteoarthritis involves microstructural alterations in subchondral and cortical bone. Conventional MRI has limitations in visualizing cortical bone due to short T2 relaxation times. Multi-echo fast field echo (mFFE) sequences can produce CT-like images of cortical bone without ionizing radiation.

This observational study will include patients aged 40 years or older with clinically suspected or confirmed knee osteoarthritis. All participants will undergo both mFFE MRI and CT of the knee. The accuracy of mFFE MRI in detecting cortical bone degenerative changes will be compared with CT as the reference standard.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
80

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients aged 40 years or older with clinically suspected or confirmed knee osteoarthritis attending the Diagnostic and Interventional Radiology Department at Assiut University Hospital.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • - Age 40 years or older
  • Clinically suspected or confirmed knee osteoarthritis
  • Able and willing to provide informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

  • - Implanted electronic devices (pacemakers, ICDs, neurostimulators, cochlear implants)
  • Metallic foreign bodies in the eyes or orbits
  • Ferromagnetic cerebral aneurysm clips
  • Implantable infusion pumps
  • Pregnancy

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Single cohort: Patients with knee osteoarthritis
Patients aged 40 years or older with knee osteoarthritis who will undergo both multi-echo fast field echo (mFFE) MRI and CT of the knee for comparison of cortical bone evaluation.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Diagnostic accuracy of mFFE MRI for cortical bone changes
Time Frame: Baseline
Overall diagnostic accuracy percentage of multi-echo fast field echo MRI in detecting cortical bone degenerative changes in knee osteoarthritis, using CT as the reference standard
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Sensitivity of mFFE MRI for cortical bone changes
Time Frame: Baseline
Sensitivity percentage of multi-echo fast field echo MRI in detecting cortical bone degenerative changes in knee osteoarthritis, using CT as the reference standard
Baseline
Specificity of mFFE MRI for cortical bone changes
Time Frame: Baseline
Specificity percentage of multi-echo fast field echo MRI in detecting cortical bone degenerative changes in knee osteoarthritis, using CT as the reference standard
Baseline
Detection of subchondral sclerosis
Time Frame: Baseline
Number of cases in which mFFE MRI correctly identifies subchondral sclerosis compared with CT
Baseline
Detection of osteophytes
Time Frame: Baseline
Number of cases in which mFFE MRI correctly identifies osteophytes compared with CT
Baseline
Detection of joint space narrowing
Time Frame: Baseline
Number of cases in which mFFE MRI correctly identifies joint space narrowing compared with CT
Baseline
Image quality score
Time Frame: Baseline
Mean subjective image quality score of mFFE MRI for cortical bone visualization on a predefined scale from 1 to 5, with higher scores indicating better image quality
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Study Chair: Ehab M Mohammed, prof, Diagnostic and interventional radiology Department, Assiut University Hospitals

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 15, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 20, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
February 20, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
September 14, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 14, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
September 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
September 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
September 14, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
September 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • mFFE-MRI-KneeOA-Assiut-2026

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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