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Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the association between the T 1 ρ and T 2 values and the progression of cartilage degeneration in patients of the same age group. Materials and methods Sagittal T 1 ρ and T 2 mapping and three-dimensional (3D) gradient-echo images were obtained from 78 subjects with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). The degree of patella cartilage degeneration was classified into four groups using MRI-based grading: apparently normal cartilage, mild OA, moderate OA, and severe OA group. We measured the T 1 ρ and T 2 values (ms) in the regions of interest set on the full-thickness patella cartilage. Then, we analyzed the relationship between the T 1 ρ and T 2 values and the degree of patella cartilage degeneration. Results There were no significant differences in age among the four groups. Both the T 1 ρ and T 2 values showed a positive correlation with the degree of OA progression ( ρ = 0.737 and ρ = 0.632, respectively). By comparison between the apparently normal cartilage and the mild OA groups, there were significant differences in the T 1 ρ mapping, but not in the T 2 mapping. Conclusions Our study confirmed that T 1 ρ and T 2 mapping can quantitatively evaluate the degree of patella cartilage degeneration in patients within the same age group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]