The pathophysiology of cartilage and synovium

To interpret joint imaging it is necessary to understand the pathology of the joint. It is not possible to describe the pathology of every joint disease, nor is it relevant. In this paper the pathophysiology of the major joint changes, cartilage loss, change in subarticular bone, increase in joint fluid, and thickening of the synovium, that can be visualized by MRI are described and discussed.