Constance Chu, M.D. Wins Kappa Delta Award for MRI to Prevent OA

Constance R. Chu, M.D., professor and vice chair of research in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Stanford University, was recently presented with the Kappa Delta Elizabeth Winston Lanier Award at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) for her research in advanced imaging technology to help prevent osteoarthritis (OA). Dr. Chu received the Kappa Delta Young Investigator Award in 2007.

Dr. Chu, director of the Joint Preservation Center and chief of Sports Medicine at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System, also discovered that many people with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries may have “pre-osteoarthritis” (pre-OA). Pre-OA, says Dr. Chu, means that the joint changes that occur before the onset of OA are potentially reversible.

Dr. Chu’s National Institutes of Health-funded research, which spanned nearly two decades, examined four imaging techniques to identify cartilage and joint abnormalities following joint injury. One of the techniques was a noninvasive procedure known as MRI UTE-T2* (Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Ultrashort Echo Time) mapping that produced color maps that showed variations in the deep layers of cartilage that are undetected by a regular MRI.

“If we can identify cartilage abnormalities before the surface breaks down, the patient can potentially recover with therapeutic interventions such as stem cells, gene therapy and improved walking mechanics,” said Dr. Chu. “…The MRI UTE-T2* imaging allows us to see changes beneath a seemingly healthy cartilage surface.”

Dr. Chu graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and earned her medical degree from Harvard Medical School. After attending West Point, Dr. Chu was a Military Intelligence Officer where she commanded an imaging intelligence unit, which led to her interest in imaging related to orthopedics.

Dr. Chu told OTW, “I am humbled by the honor and the long list of distinguished past recipients which confer the gravitas with which the orthopedic community views this award.”

“This honor conveys to me that research was judged to be of the highest quality and that orthopedic surgeons see great promise that our studies will help improve how they practice and care for patients in the near future. My team and I would like to make good on everyone’s faith in our work.”

“This is also the 70th year that the Kappa Delta sorority has sponsored this seminal award in orthopedics. I was thrilled to learn that a Kappa Delta sorority sister about to begin an orthopedic surgery residency was in the audience. I would love to know more about Elizabeth Winston Lanier and how the Kappa Delta sorority decided to establish the first award ever to honor orthopedic research.”

“Pre-OA is not OA. Rather, it is defined by potentially reversible markers of OA risk. To borrow an oft used phrase…you may not have seen it, but it has seen you. MRI UTE-T2* can help you and your patients see that their cartilage may be bruised or stressed in time for restorative treatment to promote healing so that progression to OA does not occur.”