Search

Objective: To determine whether 3D meniscal measures had similar sensitivity to longitudinal change as cartilage thickness; to what extent these measures are associated with longitudinal joint space width (JSW) change; and whether the latter associations differ between minimum (mJSW) and fixed-location JSW.Methods: Two-year changes in medial meniscal position and morphology, cartilage thickness (MRI) and minimum and fixed-location JSW (radiography) were determined in 35 Osteoarthritis Initiative knees [12 men, age: 67 (51-77) years; 23 women, age: 65 (54-78) years], progressing from baseline Kellgren-Lawrence grade ≤2 to knee replacement within 3-5 years. Multiple linear regression assessed the features contributing to JSW change.Results: Meniscal measures, cartilage thickness and JSW displayed similar sensitivity to change (standardised response mean≤|0.76|). Meniscal changes were strongly associated with JSW change (r≤|0.66|), adding ≤20% to its variance in addition to cartilage thickness change. Fixed-location JSW change (multiple r2=72%) was more strongly related to cartilage and meniscal change than mJSW (61%). Meniscal morphology explained more of fixed-location JSW and meniscal position more of mJSW.Conclusion: Meniscal measures provide independent information in explaining the variance of radiographic JSW change. Fixed-location JSW appears to be more reflective of structural change than mJSW and, hence, a potentially superior measure of structural progression.Key Points: • 3D positional/morphological meniscal measures change in rapidly progressing knees. • Similar sensitivity to 2-year change of quantitative meniscal/cartilage measures in rapid progression. • Changes in meniscal measures are strongly associated with radiographic JSW change. • Meniscal change provides information to explain JSW variance independent of cartilage. • Fixed-location JSW reflects structural disease stage more closely than minimum JSW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To evaluate whether change in fixed-location measures of radiographic joint space width (JSW) and cartilage thickness by MRI predict knee replacement.Methods: Knees replaced between 36 and 60 months' follow-up in the Osteoarthritis Initiative were each matched with one control by age, sex and radiographic status. Radiographic JSW was determined from fixed flexion radiographs and subregional femorotibial cartilage thickness from 3 T MRI. Changes between the annual visit before replacement (T0) and 2 years before T0 (T-2) were compared using conditional logistic regression.Results: One hundred and nineteen knees from 102 participants (55.5 % women; age 64.2 ± 8.7 [mean ± SD] years) were studied. Fixed-location JSW change at 22.5 % from medial to lateral differed more between replaced and control knees (case-control [cc] OR = 1.57; 95 % CI: 1.23-2.01) than minimum medial JSW change (ccOR = 1.38; 95 % CI: 1.11-1.71). Medial femorotibial cartilage loss displayed discrimination similar to minimum JSW, and central tibial cartilage loss similar to fixed-location JSW. Location-independent thinning and thickening scores were elevated prior to knee replacement.Conclusions: Discrimination of structural progression between knee pre-placement cases versus controls was stronger for fixed-location than minimum radiographic JSW. MRI displayed similar discrimination to radiography and suggested greater simultaneous cartilage thickening and loss prior to knee replacement.Key Points: • Fixed-location JSW predicts surgical knee replacement more strongly than minimum JSW. • MRI predicts knee replacement with similar accuracy to radiographic JSW. • MRI reveals greater cartilage thinning and thickening prior to knee replacement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]