Asian Journal of Medical Radiological Research ¦Volume 7 ¦ Issue 2 ¦ July-December 2019 109 Abstract Assessment of Correlation of Radiographic Findings and Cartilage Abnormalities on MRI in Osteoarthritis Knee Patients Girish Sahni 1 , Sanjeev Kumar 2 , Munish Kumar Garg 3 , Ayush Kumar Jain 2 1 Associate professor, Department of Orthopedics, Govt medical college, Patiala, 2 Senior resident, Department of Orthopedics, GMC Patiala, 3 Junior Resident, Dept. of Radio diagnosis, Govt Medical College, Patiala. Background: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widely prevalent disease worldwide and is a major public health problem that primarily affects the elderly.The present study was undertaken to define the radiographic findings of osteoarthritis (OA) of knee joint using Kellgren-Lawrence scores and to define cartilage abnormalities on magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Subjects and Methods: Present study was conducted on 50 patients presenting with knee pain and clinical suspicion of osteoarthritis. Antero-posterior radiographs of the knee were obtained in a weight-bearing extended position by using a standard radiographic technique. All radiographs were assigned scores by using the Kellgren- Lawrence scoring system.Cartilages alterations on MRI were assigned grades as follows: grade 0, normal; grade I, internal signal intensity alteration only; grade IIA, defect of cartilage of less than 50%; grade IIB, defect of cartilage of 50%–99%; grade IIIA, 100% defect of cartilage with no bone ulceration; or grade IIIB, 100% defect of cartilage with subjacent bone ulceration. Radiographic and MR imaging findings were compiled as per performa and subjected to analysis using appropriate statistical tests. Results: Among 26 patients of grade 0 K- L score, 6, 4, 6, 4, 4 and 2 patients had grade 0, grade 1, grade 2A, grade 2B, grade 3A and grade 3B Cartilage abnormality (On MRI) respectively. Among 8 patients of grade 1 K-L score, 2, 2, 2 and 2 patients had grade 0, grade 2A, grade 2B and grade 3A Cartilage abnormality (On MRI) respectively. Among 14 patients of grade 2 K-L score, 1, 4, 4 and 5 patients had grade 2A, 2B, 3A and grade 3B Cartilage abnormality (On MRI) respectively. Among 2 patients of grade 3 K-L score, both of these had grade 3B Cartilage abnormality (On MRI). Conclusion: MRI plays an important role in imaging the bony and soft tissues of knee as a whole organ, thereby helping in better management and outcome of the disease. Keywords: Magnetic resonance imaging, Osteoarthritis, Radiographic findings. Corresponding Author: Dr. Munish Kumar Garg, Junior Resident, Dept. of Radio diagnosis, Govt Medical College, Patiala. Received: September 2019 Accepted:September 2019 Introduction Osteoarthritis (OA) is a widely prevalent disease worldwide and is a major public health problem that primarily affects the elderly. The increasing importance of imaging in osteoarthritis for diagnosis, prognosis and follow-up is well recognized by both clinicians and osteoarthritis researchers. While conventional radiography is the gold standard imaging technique for the evaluation of known or suspected osteoarthritis in clinical practice and research. [1-3] Radiography is still the most commonly used imaging modality for establishing an imaging-based diagnosis of OA But it has limitations that have become apparent in the course of large magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based knee osteoarthritis studies. [4] Radiography is the simplest, least expensive and most commonly deployed imaging modality for OA. It enables detection of OA-associated bony features such as osteophytes, subchondral sclerosis and cysts. Radiography can also determine joint space width (JSW), which is a surrogate for cartilage thickness and meniscal integrity in knees, but direct visualization of these articular structures is not possible. OA is radiographically defined by the presence of marginal osteophytes. Worsening of JSN is the most commonly used criterion for the assessment of structural OA progression and the total loss of JSW (“bone-on-bone” appearance) is one of the indicators for joint replacement. [5,6] It is a widely accepted fact that cartilage loss is not the only contributor to JSN but that changes in the meniscus such as meniscal extrusion and meniscal substance loss are also causative factors. The severity of radiographic OA can be assessed with semiquantitative scoring systems. The Kellgren and Lawrence (KL) grading system is a widely accepted scheme for defining radiographic OA based on the presence of a definite osteophyte (grade 2). [6] Focal cartilage defects and bone marrow lesions are best assessed using fluid-sensitive fast spin echo sequences (e.g. T2-weighted, proton density-weighted or intermediate- weighted) with fat suppression. [7- 9] Hence; the present study was undertaken to define the radiographic findings of osteoarthritis (OA) of knee joint using Kellgren-Lawrence scores and to define cartilage ISSN (0): 2347-338X; ISSN (P): 2347-3371 Original Article