303 COMPARISON OF TWO HYALURONIC ACID FORMULATIONS ON FUNCTIONAL OUTCOMES IN PATIENTS WITH KNEE OSTEOARTHRITIS

Abstract

eight skeletal sites and knee structure in asymptomatic young to middleaged females without any clinical signs of osteoarthritis. Methods: One hundred and sixty healthy, females (29–50yr) without symptoms of osteoarthritis underwent magnetic resonance imaging of the knee. BMD was measured at the spine, hip, total body and forearm by dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, and SoS, BUA and SI were measured at the calcaneus by quantitative ultrasound (QUS). BMD and QUS measures were tested for an association with cartilage volume, defects, and bone marrow lesions (BMLs). Results: medial cartilage volume was positively associated with bmd at the total body, femoral neck, and ward’s triangle (all p < 0.05). Non-significant associations in the same direction existed at the spine (p =0.07), and trochanter (p = 0.10). Findings in the lateral compartment were similar. The presence of medial cartilage defects showed a nonsignificant association with bmd at the spine (p = 0.05). Bmd was not associated with lateral cartilage defects or bmls. No associations were observed with qus measures at the calcaneus. Conclusions: Whilst site-specific BMD is associated with cartilage volume at the knee in asymptomatic females aged 29–50yr, peripheral BMD measures, and QUS measures of the calcaneus, showed no associations with knee structure. These data suggest that the association between cartilage volume and axial/ lower limb BMD may relate to common local, possibly biomechanical, factors.