Assessment of bone mineral density and radiographic texture analysis at the tibial subchondral bone

Microstructural changes of subchondral bone constitute one of the figures characterising osteoarthritis on a structural level. Subchondral bone mineral density may reflect the complex relationship between bone and cartilage submitted to movement and loading. In this review, the authors discussed the interest of tibial subchondral bone mineral density assessment in the perspective of its diagnostic, etiopathogenic and prognostic value in osteoarthritis. In addition, the sources of variability linked to the measurement of tibial subchondral bone mineral density are precised. Trabecular bone structure characterisation by radiographic texture analyses may also represent a new promising tool to evaluate the microarchitectural changes that occur with initiation and progression of osteoarthritis. In this paper, the authors also highlighted the interest of different radiographic texture analyses and their clinical relevance in the field of osteoarthritis.