Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
Software-Assisted Quantitative Measurement of Osteoarthritic Subchondral Bone Thickness
Published on: March 18, 2022
Development and Reliability of a Preliminary Foot Osteoarthritis Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score
Jill Halstead1,2, Carmen Martín-Hervás1,2, Elizabeth M A Hensor1,2
1From the Leeds Institute of Rheumatic and Musculoskeletal Medicine, and the School of Healthcare, University of Leeds; UK National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre, Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust, Leeds; Arthritis Research UK Experimental Osteoarthritis Treatment Centre, Leeds; Arthritis Research UK Centre for Sports, Exercise and Osteoarthritis, Nottingham/Leeds; Salford Royal Hospital UK National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK; Department of Musculoskeletal Radiology, La Paz University Hospital, Autonomous University of Madrid; Biomedical Research Networking Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials and Nanomedicine, Madrid, Spain.
Objective:
Foot osteoarthritis (OA) is very common but underinvestigated musculoskeletal condition and there is little consensus as to common magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features. The aim of this study was to develop a preliminary foot OA MRI score (FOAMRIS) and evaluate its reliability.
Methods:
This preliminary semiquantitative score included the hindfoot, midfoot, and metatarsophalangeal joints. Joints were scored for joint space narrowing (JSN; 0-3), osteophytes (0-3), joint effusion/synovitis, and bone cysts (present/absent). Erosions and bone marrow lesions (BML) were scored (0-3) and BML were evaluated adjacent to entheses and at sub-tendon sites (present/absent). Additionally, tenosynovitis (0-3) and midfoot ligament pathology (present/absent) were scored. Reliability was evaluated in 15 people with foot pain and MRI-detected OA using 3.0T MRI multi-sequence protocols, and assessed using ICC as an overall score and per anatomical site.
Results:
Intrareader agreement (ICC) was generally good to excellent across the foot in joint features (JSN 0.90, osteophytes 0.90, effusion/synovitis 0.46, cysts 0.87), bone features (BML 0.83, erosion 0.66, BML entheses 0.66, BML sub-tendon 0.60) and soft tissue features (tenosynovitis 0.83, ligaments 0.77). Interreader agreement was lower for joint features (JSN 0.43, osteophytes 0.27, effusion/synovitis 0.02, cysts 0.48), bone features (BML 0.68, erosion 0.00, BML entheses 0.34, BML sub-tendon 0.13), and soft tissue features (tenosynovitis 0.35, ligaments 0.33).
Conclusion:
This preliminary FOAMRIS demonstrated good intrareader reliability and fair interreader reliability when assessing the total feature scores. Further development is required in cohorts with a range of pathologies and to assess the psychometric measurement properties.
