Radiographic assessment in osteoarthritis

Abstract

Plain film radiographs are widely used to quantify disease progression in osteoarthritis. Various methods proposed for assessing radiological progression include individual radiographic features (e.g., osteophytes), composite indices (e.g., Kellgren and Lawrence grading), and quantitative measures (e.g., joint space width measurement). We discuss the metrologic properties of these methods and suggest means for improving the quality of radiography in clinical trials.