Abstract
The use of MRI in studies of osteoarthritis (OA) is becoming increasingly common. Its benefit over radiography relate to its enhanced ability to identify structural changes prior to the presence of radiographic disease. Although cartilage loss is the hallmark of OA, it is clear that OA is a disease of the whole joint. MRI is able to directly visualize the whole joint in vivo, including articular cartilage, the menisci, the synovium and subchondral bone abnormalities. Using MRI, studies are beginning to explain the relationships between traditional and novel risk factors for OA, demonstrating how they influence changes in knee structure from early/pre-OA through to established disease. Other imaging modalities, such as ultrasound, may provide complementary approaches for the assessment of synovitis. The role of PET scanning is still unclear but, as with computed tomography, this may be used as an alternative when MRI is contraindicated.
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