Associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and changes in tibiofemoral joint structures in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Weiyu Han,Yi Zhao,Benny Antony,Tania Winzenberg,Anita Wluka,Flavia Cicuttini,Zhaohua Zhu,Yizhu Yan,Tianyu Chen,Changhai Ding,Jun Chang

doi:10.1186/s13075-022-02719-8

Abstract

BackgroundTo describe the longitudinal associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and joint structural changes in tibiofemoral compartments in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).MethodsThe participants were selected from the Vitamin D Effects on Osteoarthritis (VIDEO) study. PTFJ morphological parameters were measured on coronal and sagittal MRI. The contacting area (S) of PTFJ and its projection areas onto the horizontal (load-bearing area, Sτ), sagittal (lateral stress-bolstering area, Sφ), and coronal plane (posterior stress-bolstering area, Sυ) were assessed. Knee structural abnormalities, including cartilage defects, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), and cartilage volume, were evaluated at baseline and after 2 years. Log binominal regression models and linear regression models were used to assess the associations between PTFJ morphological parameters and osteoarthritic structural changes.ResultsIn the longitudinal analyses, the S (RR: 1.45) and Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ were significantly and positively associated with an increase in medial tibial (MT) cartilage defects. The Sτ (β: − 0.07), Sυ (β: − 0.07), and S (β: − 0.06) of PTFJ were significantly and negatively associated with changes in MT cartilage volume. The Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ was positively associated with an increase in MT BMLs, and Sφ (RR: 0.35) was negatively associated with an increase in medial femoral BMLs.ConclusionsThis longitudinal study suggests that higher load-bearing area of PTFJ could be a risk factor for structural changes in medial tibiofemoral (MTF) compartment in knee OA.Trial registrationClinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01176344Anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12610000495022Date of registration: 7 May 2010

Highlights

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) involves tibiofemoral and patellofemoral components [1]
Patients Participants with knee OA were recruited to the Vitamin D Effects on Osteoarthritis (VIDEO) study, a multicenter, randomized, and double-blind clinical trial to evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation in patients with knee OA
There were no significant differences in demographic factors between these participants and those who were lost to follow-up (n = 51; data are shown in Supplementary Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Knee osteoarthritis (OA) involves tibiofemoral and patellofemoral components [1]. little attention has been paid to the proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and its contribution to knee OA. The medial tibiofemoral compartment of the knee joint is more often affected by OA than the lateral tibiofemoral compartment [3]. 60–80% of the total intrinsic compressive load transmitted across the knee is on the medial compartment [4]. The loadingbearing axis is shifted to medial tibiofemoral compartment, so that the medial compartment bears great stress [7]. It is still not well understood why mechanical loading is greater in the medial than the lateral tibiofemoral compartment. To describe the longitudinal associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and joint structural changes in tibiofemoral compartments in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA)

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