Correlation between knee roentgenogram changes and clinical symptoms in osteoarthritis

Area of Science:

• Orthopedics and Rheumatology
• Medical Imaging
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• Osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a prevalent degenerative joint disease.
• Assessing OA severity often involves correlating clinical symptoms with radiographic changes.
• Understanding this relationship is crucial for effective patient management and treatment evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlation between clinical symptoms and radiographic findings in knee osteoarthritis (OA).
• To evaluate the reliability of subjective patient assessments versus objective radiographic measures in OA.
• To identify key indicators for assessing OA severity and progression.

Main Methods:

• 162 patients with established knee OA underwent subjective self-assessment using Lequesne's questionnaire.
• Frontal and lateral roentgenograms of both knees were obtained for each patient.
• Statistical analysis was performed to correlate clinical indices, patient-reported outcomes, and radiographic features.

Main Results:

• A significant correlation was observed between clinical symptoms and patient-reported indices (r = 0.327, p < 0.0001).
• A very weak correlation was found between clinical symptoms and radiographic indices (r = 0.196, p = 0.286).
• Acute inflammatory symptoms (swelling, effusion, warmth, pain) were more reliable indicators of OA severity than chronic signs.

Conclusions:

• Lequesne's questionnaire is a valid tool for assessing subjective knee OA symptoms and overall disease severity.
• Radiographic features like sclerosis, joint space narrowing, and osteophytes are important for characterizing OA.
• Clinical assessment, particularly of acute symptoms, provides valuable insights into OA progression.