Correlation between radiographically diagnosed osteophytes and magnetic resonance detected cartilage defects in the tibiofemoral joint

Abstract

Objective-To assess the correlation between the presence of radiographically diagnosed osteophytes in the tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) and (1) magnetic resonance (MR) detected cartilage defects and meniscal lesions in the same joint and (2) knee pain. Methods-Fifty nine people, 29 men and 30 women, with chronic knee pain (aged 41-58 years, mean 50 years) were examined with posteroanterior weightbearing radiograms in semiflexion of both TFJ. The presence and grade of marginal and central osteophytes were assessed. On the same day, an MR examination was performed of the signal knee with proton density and T2 weighted turbo spin-echo sequences on a 1.0 T imager. Cartilage defects and meniscal abnormalities in the TFJ were noted. The subjects were questioned for current knee pain for each knee. Results-Marginal osteophytes had a sensitivity of 77%, specificity of 83%, and positive predictive value of 87% for MR detected cartilage defects in the TFJ and a sensitivity of 71%, specificity of 68%, and positive predictive value of 71% for meniscal abnormalities. A correlation (p<0.05) between osteophytes at the medial tibial condyle and knee pain was found. Conclusions-With the presence of marginal osteophytes in the TFJ there is a high prevalence of MR detected cartilage defects in the same joint whether joint space narrowing (<3 mm) is present or not.

Joint Space Predicts THA After Hip Arthroscopy in Patients 50 Years and Older

“…Prior studies [2,3,20,21,26] have demonstrated an association between K-L grade and the presence and severity of chondral damage and symptoms of OA in the knee on MR images. A few studies [7,23] have used the K-L grading system to evaluate hips.…”

“…MRI allows assessment of the chondral surfaces of the hip with reasonable accuracy [1,2,20]; however, as a result of insurance coverage, it is not available for all patients because of cost. Radiographic assessment remains the most common method available for preoperative evaluation.…”

Quantitative magnetic resonance imaging evaluation of knee osteoarthritis progression over two years and correlation with clinical symptoms and radiologic changes

“…Recent advances in MRI technology have led to significant improvements in spatial resolution and contrast, enabling researchers to evaluate anatomic damage of all these joint structures in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes (14)(15)(16)(17)(18)(19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24). Recently, we and other investigators have developed a system for quantifying cartilage volume using MRI acquisitions combined with sophisticated software (25)(26)(27)(28)(29)(30)(31)(32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37)(38)(39)(40)(41); however, to date, few studies have used MRI technology to evaluate cartilage volume changes over time (42)(43)(44)(45)(46).…”

Relationship Between Pain Severity and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Features in Patients with Osteoarthritis of The Knee

“…Boegard et al (35) found a positive correlation between pain and osteophytes located at the medial femoral condyle observed on knee X-rays obtained at semiflexion position. However, in their study, including patients with chronic pain, these authors did not provide the details of the methods they used for pain assessment.…”