Skeletal Growth Imaging Lab
Skeletal Growth Imaging Lab
Location and Contact Information
Principal Investigator
The Skeletal Growth Imaging Lab is applying a novel MR technique, diffusion tensor imaging of the physis and metaphysis (DTI-P/M), to better understand normal and abnormal bone growth. We have pioneered DTI-P/M of the knee, a technique that generates tracts based on anisotropic diffusion of water through the physeal and metaphyseal columns, to measure tract volume, tract length, and fractional anisotropy (FA), a marker of tissue organization. Our central hypothesis is that height velocity, growth potential, and response to growth hormone treatment can be predicted by quantifying physeal tract volume on DTI-P/M. Our goal is to validate DTI-P/M as a biomarker for growth, with implications for assessing response to growth hormone therapy and facilitating decisions about surgical approaches to common pediatric orthopedic conditions.
