MRI Reveals Association Between Fibula Ligament and Knee Osteoarthrosis

According to a study presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society's annual meeting in Orlando, FL in May 2007, abnormalities in the ligaments found on the outside of the knee (called the lateral collateral ligament complex or LCLC) are commonly seen on MRI in patients with knee osteoarthrosis. The study was conducted by researchers from Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD and Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia, PA. It was led by Yung-Hsin Chen, MD, of Johns Hopkins Hospital.

Osteoarthrosis is a form of arthritis that occurs mainly in elderly persons. It is characterized by chronic degeneration of the cartilage of the joints. For this study, 96 patients (53 women, 43 men), 51 with knee osteoarthrosis, and 44 patients with knee pain following an injury and no history of knee osteoarthrosis, underwent an MRI. The patients were graded on the severity of knee osteoarthrosis on radiographs and the severity of abnormalities of the LCLC components.

The results showed that LCLC abnormalities were identified in 88% of the patients with osteoarthrosis compared to 12% of patients without OA. In addition, the study revealed that lateral compartment osteoarthrosis was significantly associated with abnormalities in the fibular collateral ligament.

According to the authors, these findings will help to explain some of the common findings seen in radiological tests of patients with osteoarthritis.

Article References
Study Uses MRI To Determine Features Of Osteoarthrosis, site accessed on 05/07/07