Association of magnetic resonance imaging-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based knee cartilage T2 measurements and focal knee lesions with knee pain in knees without radiographic osteoarthritis (OA) among subjects with OA risk factors.

Methods: We studied the right knees of 126 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative database. We randomly selected 42 subjects ages 45-55 years with OA risk factors, right knee pain (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index [WOMAC] pain score ≥5), no left knee pain (WOMAC pain score 0), and no radiographic OA (Kellgren/Lawrence [K/L] score ≤1) in the right knee. We also selected 2 comparison groups: 42 subjects without knee pain in either knee and 42 with bilateral knee pain. Both groups were frequency matched to subjects with right knee pain only by sex, age, body mass index, and K/L score. All of the subjects underwent 3T MRI of the right knee. Focal knee lesions were assessed and cartilage T2 measurements were performed.

Results: Prevalences of meniscal, bone marrow, and ligamentous lesions and joint effusion were not significantly different between the groups (P > 0.05), while cartilage lesions were more frequent in subjects with right knee pain only compared to subjects without knee pain (P < 0.05). T2 values averaged over all of the compartments were similar in subjects with right knee pain only (mean ± SD 34.4 ± 1.8 msec) and in subjects with bilateral knee pain (mean ± SD 34.7 ± 4.7 msec), but were significantly higher compared to subjects without knee pain (mean ± SD 32.4 ± 1.8 msec; P < 0.05).

Conclusion: These results suggest that elevated cartilage T2 values are associated with findings of pain in the early phase of OA, whereas among morphologic knee abnormalities only knee cartilage lesions are significantly associated with knee pain status.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00080171.

Figure 1

T2 color maps of the medial femur and medial tibia compartments of the right knee overlaid with the first-echo images of the MSME sequence. (A) Representative subject without knee pain and (B) representative subject with right knee pain. Blue color indicates low, red color high cartilage T2 values. The subject with right knee pain showed elevated T2 values compared to the subject without knee pain (41.6ms in the medial femur, respectively 35.7ms in the medial tibia versus 35.3ms in the medial femur, respectively 33.9ms in the medial tibia).