Will FCI change the way we diagnose osteoarthritis?

Versus Arthritis calls it a “game-changer for the early detection of osteoarthritis”. YKC’s Nick London looks at the ‘next generation MRI’: Field Cycling Imaging.

You’re probably familiar with the term MRI. Since becoming commonplace in UK health settings over the past 30 years or so, magnetic resonance imaging scanners have been an extremely valuable diagnostic tool because, unlike X-rays, they can image things other than bone. In knee surgery, we use MRI scans to see muscles, ligaments and other soft tissues.

But what neither MRI nor any other type of scan offers is the sort of sensitivity that enables us to detect joint damage in its earliest stages. It’s one of the simplest reasons we lack treatments that can slow osteoarthritis (OA).

But now a new technology called Field-Cycling Imaging (FCI), developed at the University of Aberdeen, is offering hope of change. As Versus Arthritis notes, the FCI scanner has found that a “property of the cartilage of the knee which determines response to different magnetic fields, is starkly different in osteoarthritic cartilage compared to healthy cartilage.

“This finding could mark a key breakthrough in early detection. Identifying changes in how the cartilage responds to different magnetic fields before damage occurs could be a crucial indicator of OA onset.”

> What Is Osteoarthritis & How Do You Treat It?

What is Field-Cycling Imaging (FCI) and how does it work?

Think of FCI as an upgraded MRI. The two work in similar ways, but FCI is able to change the strength of the magnetic field very quickly during the scan, while in MRI the magnetic field is constant. This ability to change field strength enables users to see how different tissues respond to different magnetic fields.

Studies into the effectiveness and applications of FCI are ongoing and, although very early days, it’s certainly a very interesting development. Anything that helps us inform patients earlier will better enable them to manage their arthritis, and that can only be a good thing.

There is a notable caveat: cost. MRI imaging is a premium cost tool that’s in relatively short supply – and this is a technology that is over 50 years old. It’s not yet clear what the cost of FCI will be and how that might affect its availability as part of routine standard clinical practice.

Nevertheless, FCI would be a welcome addition to the diagnostic toolbox, and is certainly something to watch for the future.

In the meantime, if you are concerned about knee pain and want diagnosis and treatment options, contact us or phone us on 03453 052 579.

> Discover more about Nick London
> What Is Osteoarthritis & How Do You Treat It?
> Discover more about osteoarthritis, YKC & you