A Quantitative Assessment of the Subchondral Changes in Osteoarthritis and its Association to the Cartilage Degeneration

Abstract

SummaryIn order to quantify the alterations in subchrondral bone and to compare the changes with the severity of the cartilage lesions, a quantitative histological analysis of articular cartilage and subchrondral bone from osteoarthritic and normal femoral heads was performed.The analyses were based on 12 femoral heads, seven which were osteoarthritic and five controls. Coronal sections were made and divided into four separate sites to include two weight-bearing and two non-weight-bearing. For each area the percentage volume of trabecular bone was determined by histomorphometry and the degree of cartilage degeneration was evaluated according to a histologicalhistochemical grading system.The data obtained showed wide variations from site to site, in osteoarthritic femoral heads, with consistently more pronounced alterations in cartilage and subchrondral bone in the weight-bearing areas. Bone thickening and cartilage degeneration were distinctly increased in osteoarthritic joints, in contrast to the control group. By comparing the bony changes with the severity of the cartilage lesions, a correlation of moderate significance was found between the degeneration of the cartilage and sclerosis of the subchrondral bone.Sections from osteoarthritic and normal canine femoral heads were obtained and divided into weight-bearing and non-weight-bearing areas. The trabecular bone area (%) and the severity of cartilage degeneration were determined by bone histo-morphology and a cartilage histological-histochemical grading system.Bone thickening and cartilage degeneration were increased in osteoarthritic joints, when compared to normal controls with consistently more pronounced alterations in weight-bearing areas. The severity of the cartilage lesions were found to corre-late with subchrondral bone sclerosis.