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Updated: Jul 4, 2025
Standardized Histomorphometric Evaluation of Osteoarthritis in a Surgical Mouse Model
Published on: May 6, 2020
30 Years of MRI-based cartilage & bone morphometry in knee osteoarthritis: From correlation to clinical trials
Felix Eckstein1, Anita E Wluka2, Wolfgang Wirth1
1Department of Imaging & Functional Musculoskeletal Research, Center of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Salzburg, Austria; Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Arthritis and Rehabilitation (LBIAR), Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria; Chondrometrics GmbH, Freilassing, Bavaria, Germany.
Objective:
The first publication on morphometric analysis of articular cartilage using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in 1994 set the scene for a game change in osteoarthritis (OA) research. The current review highlights milestones in cartilage and bone morphometry, summarizing the rapid progress made in imaging, its application to understanding joint (patho-)physiology, and its use in interventional clinical trials.
Methods:
Based on a Pubmed search of articles from 1994 to 2023, the authors subjectively selected representative work illustrating important steps in the development or application of magnetic resonance-based cartilage and bone morphometry, with a focus on studies in humans, and on the knee. Research on OA-pathophysiology is addressed only briefly, given length constraints. Compositional and semi-quantitative assessment are not covered here.
Results:
The selected articles are presented in historical order as well as by content. We review progress in the technical aspects of image acquisition, segmentation and analysis, advances in understanding tissue growth, physiology, function, and adaptation, and a selection of clinical trials examining the efficacy of interventions on knee cartilage and bone. A perspective is provided of how lessons learned may be applied to future research and clinical management.
Conclusions:
Over the past 30 years, MRI-based morphometry of cartilage and bone has contributed to a paradigm shift in understanding articular tissue physiology and OA pathophysiology, and to the development of new treatment strategies. It is likely that these technologies will continue to play a key role in the development and (accelerated) approval of therapy, potentially targeted to different OA phenotypes.
