Magnetic resonance imaging lesions are more severe and cartilage T2 relaxation time measurements are higher in isolated lateral compartment radiographic knee osteoarthritis than in isolated medial compartment disease – data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

• Published in: Osteoarthritis and cartilage Vol. 25; no. 1; pp. 85 - 93
• Main Authors: Wise, B.L., Niu, J., Guermazi, A., Liu, F., Heilmeier, U., Ku, E., Lynch, J.A., Zhang, Y., Felson, D.T., Kwoh, C.K., Lane, N.E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2017
• Subjects: Cartilage; Knee osteoarthritis; Lateral compartment; Magnetic resonance imaging; Rheumatology; Cartilage; Knee osteoarthritis; Magnetic resonance imaging; Lateral compartment
• ISSN: 1063-4584; 1522-9653
• DOI: 10.1016/j.joca.2016.08.002

Isolated lateral compartment tibiofemoral radiographic osteoarthritis (IL-ROA) is an understudied form of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The objective of the present study was to characterize Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) abnormalities and MR-T2 relaxation time measurements associated with IL-ROA and with isolated medial compartment ROA (IM-ROA) compared with knees without OA. 200 case subjects with IL-ROA (Kellgren/Lawrence (K/L) grade≥2 and joint space narrowing (JSN) > 0 in the lateral compartment but JSN = 0 in the medial compartment) were randomly selected from the Osteoarthritis Initiative baseline visit. 200 cases with IM-ROA and 200 controls were frequency matched to the IL-ROA cases. Cases and controls were analyzed for odds of having a subregion with >10% cartilage area affected, with ≥25% bone marrow lesions (BML), with meniscal tear or maceration, and for association with cartilage T2 values. IL-ROA was more strongly associated with ipsilateral MRI knee pathologies than IM-ROA (IL-ROA: OR = 135.2 for size of cartilage lesion, 95% CI 42.7–427.4; OR = 145.4 for large size BML, 95% CI 41.5–509.5; OR = 176 for meniscal tears, 95% CI 59.8–517.7; IM-ROA: OR = 28.4 for size of cartilage lesion, 95% CI 14.7–54.7; OR = 38.1 for size of BML, 95% CI 12.7–114; OR = 37.0 for meniscal tears, 95% CI 12–113.6). Cartilage T2 values were higher in both tibial and medial femoral compartments in IL-ROA, but in IM-ROA were only significantly different from controls in the medial femur. IL-ROA knees show a greater prevalence and severity of MRI lesions and higher cartilage T2 values than IM-ROA knees compared with controls.