Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 20, Issue 1 , Pages 57-68, February 2006

Is MRI useful in osteoarthritis?

  • Philip Conaghan, MB, BS, PhD, FRACP, FRCP (Professor of Musculoskeletal Medicine)

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationTel.: +44 113 3924883; fax: +44 113 3924991.

Academic Unit of Musculoskeletal Disease, 2nd Floor, Chapel Allerton Hospital, Chapel Town Road, Leeds LS7 4SA, UK

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can image all the tissues involved in the osteoarthritic joint—not just the cartilage but also the ligaments, synovium, menisci and subchondral bone. Despite these abilities, MRI does not have an established place in the investigation or management of osteoarthritis (OA). This chapter will overview the literature concerning MRI abnormalities in OA, and their relationship to structural progression and symptoms, in order to let the reader decide on the benefits of MRI in their particular practice. The evidence reviewed here will relate to knee OA, reflecting the vast preponderance of MRI studies in the knee.

Keywords: MRI, osteoarthritis, synovitis, bone marrow oedema, cartilage

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PII: S1521-6942(05)00101-4

doi:10.1016/j.berh.2005.08.003

Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology
Volume 20, Issue 1 , Pages 57-68, February 2006

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