Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Volume 18, Issue 3 , Pages 336-343, March 2010

The association of prevalent medial meniscal pathology with cartilage loss in the medial tibiofemoral compartment over a 2-year period

  • M.D. Crema

      Affiliations

    • Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
    • Boston Imaging Core Lab (BICL), Boston, MA, USA
    • Department of Internal Medicine, Radiology Division, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
    • Department of Biomechanics, Medicine, and Rehabilitation of the Locomotor Apparatus, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
    • Corresponding Author InformationAddress correspondence and reprint requests to: Michel D. Crema, Department of Radiology, Quantitative Imaging Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 820 Harrison Avenue, FGH Building, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA. Tel: 1-617-414-3893; Fax: 1-617-638-6616.
    • ,
  • A. Guermazi

      Affiliations

    • Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
    • Boston Imaging Core Lab (BICL), Boston, MA, USA
    • ,
  • L. Li

      Affiliations

    • Division of Research, New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
    • ,
  • M.H. Nogueira-Barbosa

      Affiliations

    • Department of Internal Medicine, Radiology Division, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
    • Department of Biomechanics, Medicine, and Rehabilitation of the Locomotor Apparatus, Ribeirão Preto School of Medicine, University of São Paulo (USP), Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo, Brazil
    • ,
  • M.D. Marra

      Affiliations

    • Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
    • Boston Imaging Core Lab (BICL), Boston, MA, USA
    • ,
  • F.W. Roemer

      Affiliations

    • Quantitative Imaging Center, Department of Radiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
    • Boston Imaging Core Lab (BICL), Boston, MA, USA
    • Department of Radiology, Klinikum Augsburg, Augsburg, Germany
    • ,
  • F. Eckstein

      Affiliations

    • Institute of Anatomy and Musculoskeletal Research, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria & Chondrometrics GmbH, Ainring, Germany
    • ,
  • M.P. Hellio Le Graverand

      Affiliations

    • Pfizer Global Research and Development, New London, CT, USA
    • ,
  • B.T. Wyman

      Affiliations

    • Pfizer Global Research and Development, New London, CT, USA
    • ,
  • D.J. Hunter

      Affiliations

    • Division of Research, New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

Received 4 July 2009; accepted 1 November 2009. published online 30 November 2009.

Summary 

Objective

To investigate the association of different types of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-detected medial meniscal pathology with subregional cartilage loss in the medial tibiofemoral compartment.

Methods

A total of 152 women aged ≥40 years, with and without knee osteoarthritis (OA) were included in a longitudinal 24-month observational study. Spoiled gradient recalled acquisitions at steady state (SPGR) and T2-weighted fat-suppressed MRI sequences were acquired. Medial meniscal status of the anterior horn (AH), body, and posterior horn (PH) was graded at baseline: 0 (normal), 1 (intrasubstance meniscal signal changes), 2 (single tears), and 3 (complex tears/maceration). Cartilage segmentation was performed at baseline and 24-month follow-up in various tibiofemoral subregions using computation software. Multiple linear regression models were applied for the analysis with cartilage loss as the outcome. In a first model, the results were adjusted for age and body mass index (BMI). In a second model, the results were adjusted for age, BMI and medial meniscal extrusion.

Results

After adjusting for age, BMI, and medial meniscal extrusion, cartilage loss in the total medial tibia (MT) (0.04mm, P=0.04) and the external medial tibia (eMT) (0.068mm, P=0.04) increased significantly for compartments with grade 3 lesions. Cartilage loss in the total central medial femoral condyle (cMF) (0.071mm, P=0.03) also increased significantly for compartments with grade 2 lesions. Cartilage loss at the eMT was significantly related to tears of the PH (0.074mm; P=0.03). Cartilage loss was not significantly increased for compartments with grade 1 lesions.

Conclusion

The protective function of the meniscus appears to be preserved in the presence of intrasubstance meniscal signal changes. Prevalent single tears and meniscal maceration were found to be associated with increased cartilage loss in the same compartment, especially at the PH.

Key words: Meniscus, Cartilage, Knee, Osteoarthritis, Magnetic resonance imaging

 

PII: S1063-4584(09)00295-7

doi:10.1016/j.joca.2009.11.003

Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
Volume 18, Issue 3 , Pages 336-343, March 2010