3D joint space evaluation in knee osteoarthritis: The importance of weight-bearing and flexion

Osteoarthritis (OA) is mainly characterized by cartilage degeneration. In knee
OA, measuring the distance between the tibia and femur, known as the joint
space width (JSW), is an often-used method to quantify the progression of the
disease or the effectiveness of treatments, because it is an indirect measure
of cartilage degeneration. However, JSW is often measured while the patient is
standing (weight-bearing) with slightly flexed knees, with a flexion angle of
around 7-10 degrees, while direct cartilage thickness measurements are usually
performed while the patient is lying down (non-weight-bearing) with an extended
leg. Because of this difference in positioning, it is difficult to compare
different JSW and cartilage thickness measures, as it is not clear what happens
with the JSW distribution in the joint when a patient changes position between
weight-bearing/non-weight-bearing and flexion/extension. In this study, we aim
to identify the changes that occur in the knee of OA patients under the
influence of weight-bearing and/or flexion, to enable comparing joint space
measures from different positions. In this research we want to use MRI as a
three-dimensional imaging technique because there is no radiation involved.

To evaluate how the 3D knee joint space distribution in knee OA patients
changes under the influence of weight-bearing (upright) and flexion MRI
scanning.

Explorative cross-sectional study.

Patients need to visit the University of Twente once. The total duration of the
visit is 1 hour. To perform the upright scan, the participant needs to stand
still for at most 15 minutes. During this position, some people may experience
dizziness. If this is noticed, the scan will be aborted immediately and the
participant is turned back to the horizontal position. The risks associated
with this MRI examination are negligible.