CEST Imaging

Chemical exchange saturation transfer (CEST) is a technique that allows generating a contrast in magnetic resonance images based on chemical exchange of free water protons and protons of solute molecules. From the many exogenous and endogenous molecules that have been introduced as CEST contrast agents, CEST contrast mediated by glycosaminoglycans (GAG) in cartilage has been suggested to potentially provide novel avenues for non-invasive investigation of cartilage health. Initial applications showed that the gagCEST contrast is sensitive to the GAG content in cartilage and can detect cartilage defects in patients after cartilage repair surgery in the knee joint.