Abstract
Knee osteoarthritis is a disease with the degeneration of articular cartilage as its main feature. Cartilage thickness cannot become a single index to evaluate cartilage degeneration, so it is essential to also evaluate the stiffness. The purposes were as follows: (1) to examine test-retest reliabilities of the elastic modulus measurement in distal femoral articular cartilage (FAC) and compare the changes in specific-regional of distal FAC, (2) to explore the difference in distal FAC stiffness and thickness between the dominant and nondominant sides, and (3) to examine the correlation between the elastic properties of cartilage and the thickness of cartilage. Twenty healthy participants were recruited. The stiffness of distal FAC at the lateral femoral condyle (LFC), medial femoral condyle (MFC), and intercondylar notch (IN) was quantified using shear-wave elastography (SWE). Intra- and interrater reliabilities were excellent for measuring the stiffness of distal FAC (ICC: 0.83-0.98). About a 50% increase in the stiffness of LFC (40.78 kPa) was found when compared with IN (21.82 kPa) and MFC (18.34 kPa). No significant difference was found between the dominant and nondominant sides in distal FAC stiffness and thickness. There was no correlation between the stiffness and thickness of the distal FAC. In conclusion, SWE can quantify the stiffness of the distal FAC.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and one of the leading causes of chronic disability in the elderly population worldwide [1,2,3]
For left medial femoral condyle (LMFC), the mean difference was -0.41 kPa; standard error of the mean (SEM) (kPa) and 0.27 kPa, and the 95% limit of agreement (LOA) was from -5.23 kPa to 4.41 kPa and from -1.96 kPa to 2.49 kPa
The findings from this study indicated that shear-wave elastography (SWE) is a reliable instrument for quantifying the elastic properties of distal femoral articular cartilage (FAC)
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis and one of the leading causes of chronic disability in the elderly population worldwide [1,2,3]. Knee OA (KOA) is a disease with the degeneration of articular cartilage as one of its main features [3, 4]. As part of the onset of OA, excessive physiological load causes the extracellular matrix to become compromised or the synthesis of components to become reduced, resulting in increased stress on chondrocytes, which may cause cell death [6]. In another way, the increasing activity or production of proinflammatory cytokines causes the content of proteoglycans to decrease, resulting in cartilage deformation in response to loading.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
