Associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and changes in tibiofemoral joint structures in patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

To describe the longitudinal associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and joint structural changes in tibiofemoral compartments in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS:

The participants were selected from the Vitamin D Effects on Osteoarthritis (VIDEO) study. PTFJ morphological parameters were measured on coronal and sagittal MRI. The contacting area (S) of PTFJ and its projection areas onto the horizontal (load-bearing area, Sτ), sagittal (lateral stress-bolstering area, Sφ), and coronal plane (posterior stress-bolstering area, Sυ) were assessed. Knee structural abnormalities, including cartilage defects, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), and cartilage volume, were evaluated at baseline and after 2 years. Log binominal regression models and linear regression models were used to assess the associations between PTFJ morphological parameters and osteoarthritic structural changes.

RESULTS:

In the longitudinal analyses, the S (RR: 1.45) and Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ were significantly and positively associated with an increase in medial tibial (MT) cartilage defects. The Sτ (β: - 0.07), Sυ (β: - 0.07), and S (β: - 0.06) of PTFJ were significantly and negatively associated with changes in MT cartilage volume. The Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ was positively associated with an increase in MT BMLs, and Sφ (RR: 0.35) was negatively associated with an increase in medial femoral BMLs.

CONCLUSIONS:

This longitudinal study suggests that higher load-bearing area of PTFJ could be a risk factor for structural changes in medial tibiofemoral (MTF) compartment in knee OA.

TRIAL REGISTRATION:

Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01176344 Anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12610000495022 Date of registration: 7 May 2010.

• Authors: Jun Chang, Tianyu Chen, Yizhu Yan, Zhaohua Zhu, Weiyu Han, Yi Zhao, Benny Antony, Anita Wluka, Tania Winzenberg, Flavia Cicuttini, Changhai Ding
• Journal: Arthritis research & therapy (Arthritis Res Ther) Vol. 24 Issue 1 Pg. 34 (01 27 2022) ISSN: 1478-6362 [Electronic] England
• PMID: 35086561 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't)
• Copyright: © 2022. The Author(s).

Topics

• Cartilage, Articular (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Fibula (pathology)
• Humans
• Knee Joint (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Longitudinal Studies
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• Osteoarthritis, Knee (diagnostic imaging, pathology)
• Tibia (diagnostic imaging)