The Relationship between Synovial Inflammation in Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score and Traditional Chinese Medicine Syndrome Pattern of Osteoarthritis in the Knee

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to guide the quantitative analysis of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) syndromes by the measurement of magnetic resonance. Methods: A total of 213 patients with knee osteoarthritis were selected for TCM dialectical classification, and their MRI images were scored on Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) to evaluate the correlation between severity of synovitis and TCM syndrome types in the scores. Results: Among the 213 patients, 25 were Anemofrigid-damp arthralgia syndrome (accounting for 11.7%), 84 were Pyretic arthralgia syndrome (39.4%), 43 were Blood stasis syndrome (20.2%), and 61 were Liver and kidney vitality deficiency syndrome (28.6%). In the WORMS score, 12 (5.6%) had a synovitis score of 0, 60 (28.2%) had a synovitis score of 1, 50 (23.5%) had a synovitis score of 2, and 91 (42.7%) had a synovitis score of 3. There was a statistically significant difference in the correlation analysis. The group with a synovitis score of 3 in WORMS was more likely to occur in the Pyretic arthralgia syndrome (X2 = 194.424, P = 0.000). Conclusion: In this study, Pyretic arthralgia syndrome (39.4%) was found to be the main clinical manifestation in patients with knee osteoarthritis synovitis. This finding has certain guiding significance for relevant treatment.