TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of cartilage defects with loss of knee cartilage in healthy, middle-age adults: A prospective study
AU - Cicuttini, Flavia
AU - Ding, Changhai
AU - Wluka, Anita
AU - Davis, Susan
AU - Ebeling, Peter Robert
AU - Jones, Graeme
PY - 2005
Y1 - 2005
N2 - Objective. The significance of asymptomatic knee
cartilage defects in healthy individuals is not known.
The aim of this study was to examine the association
between cartilage defects in the knee and cartilage
volume both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in
healthy, middle-age adults.
Methods. Eighty-six healthy men and women
(mean SD age 53.8 8.8 years) underwent T1-
weighted fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging of
their dominant knees at baseline and at the 2-year
followup visit. Knee cartilage volume was measured.
Cartilage defects were scored according to a grading
system (0a??4) and as present (a defect score of >2) or
absent in the medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartments.
Results. Cartilage defects in the medial and lateral
tibiofemoral compartments were very common (in
61 and 43 of subjects, respectively). Those with
cartilage defects had a 25 reduction in medial tibial
cartilage volume, a 15 reduction in lateral tibial cartilage
volume, and a 19 reduction in total femoral
cartilage volume relative to those with no cartilage
defects in cross-sectional analyses (all P <0.05). In the
medial tibiofemoral compartment, the annual loss of
tibial cartilage in those with cartilage defects was 2.5
(95 confidence interval [95 CI] 2.2 , 3.1 ) compared
with an annual loss of tibial cartilage of 1.3
(95 CI 0.5 , 2.0 ) in those with no defects (P
0.028), independent of other known risk factors for
osteoarthritis (OA).
Conclusion. These data suggest that the presence
of asymptomatic, nona??full-thickness medial tibiofemoral
cartilage defects identifies healthy individuals most
likely to lose knee cartilage in the absence of radiographic
knee OA. Thus, interventions aimed at reducing
or reversing cartilage defects may reduce the risk of
subsequent knee OA.
AB - Objective. The significance of asymptomatic knee
cartilage defects in healthy individuals is not known.
The aim of this study was to examine the association
between cartilage defects in the knee and cartilage
volume both cross-sectionally and longitudinally in
healthy, middle-age adults.
Methods. Eighty-six healthy men and women
(mean SD age 53.8 8.8 years) underwent T1-
weighted fat-suppressed magnetic resonance imaging of
their dominant knees at baseline and at the 2-year
followup visit. Knee cartilage volume was measured.
Cartilage defects were scored according to a grading
system (0a??4) and as present (a defect score of >2) or
absent in the medial and lateral tibiofemoral compartments.
Results. Cartilage defects in the medial and lateral
tibiofemoral compartments were very common (in
61 and 43 of subjects, respectively). Those with
cartilage defects had a 25 reduction in medial tibial
cartilage volume, a 15 reduction in lateral tibial cartilage
volume, and a 19 reduction in total femoral
cartilage volume relative to those with no cartilage
defects in cross-sectional analyses (all P <0.05). In the
medial tibiofemoral compartment, the annual loss of
tibial cartilage in those with cartilage defects was 2.5
(95 confidence interval [95 CI] 2.2 , 3.1 ) compared
with an annual loss of tibial cartilage of 1.3
(95 CI 0.5 , 2.0 ) in those with no defects (P
0.028), independent of other known risk factors for
osteoarthritis (OA).
Conclusion. These data suggest that the presence
of asymptomatic, nona??full-thickness medial tibiofemoral
cartilage defects identifies healthy individuals most
likely to lose knee cartilage in the absence of radiographic
knee OA. Thus, interventions aimed at reducing
or reversing cartilage defects may reduce the risk of
subsequent knee OA.
UR - http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/art.21148/pdf
U2 - 10.1002/art.21148
DO - 10.1002/art.21148
M3 - Article
SN - 0004-3591
VL - 52
SP - 2033
EP - 2039
JO - Arthritis and Rheumatism
JF - Arthritis and Rheumatism
IS - 7
ER -