OBJECTIVE EVALUATION OF OSTEOARTHRITIS - IMAGING AND ARTHROSCOPY IN CASES OF MEDIAL FEMOROTIBIAL INVOLVEMENT

Key features: Progression of clinical manifestations and changes in ca rtilage lesions are two key features used to evaluate the progression of medial femorotibial osteoarthritis. Clinical assessment: Pain, func tion, inflammation (joint effusion) and quality of life should be quan tified using appropriate indexes or visual analog scales. Structural c hanges: Research into the structural anatomy of cartilage in osteoarth ritis has lead to the development of evaluation methods. To date, two methods have been validated: standard radiography and arthroscopy. Sta ndard radiography: This method has the advantage of simplicity and low cost. Care must however be taken to obtain comparable images. Standar dized protocols and guidelines for both clinical research and everyday practice are required. Arthroscopy: This method provides a direct vie w of the cartilage. The advantage here is the smaller number of patien ts; required for research and the shorter duration of follow-up, but t he invasive nature of this technique limits its use in everyday practi ce.