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• Clinical Article •
A study on the correlation between patellofemoral and tibiofemoral osteoarthritis based on multimodal imaging
RAN Chunyan  WANG Xiangao  XU Gaoqiang  LIU Junwei  WANG Dan  LI Xiaomei  HE Shengsheng  LIU Heng  ZHANG Tijiang 

Cite this article as: RAN C Y, WANG　X G, XU G Q, et al. A study on the correlation between patellofemoral and tibiofemoral osteoarthritis based on multimodal imaging[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(9): 140-145. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.09.021.


[Abstract] Objective To analyze the association between patellofemoral osteoarthritis (PFOA) and tibiofemoral osteoarthritis (TFOA), and analyze their potential common relationships.Materials and Methods Prospectively recruited 101 subjects (56 males, 45 females) who visited Joint Surgery Department of the Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University and underwent same-day weight-bearing knee X-ray and ipsilateral knee MRI examinations in the Radiology Department. Based on the Kellgren-Lawrence grading (KLG) system for knee osteoarthritis (KOA) on weight-bearing X-rays, the subjects were divided into four groups: KLG 0-1, KLG 2, KLG 3, and KLG 4. According to the Recht MRI grading system for cartilage damage, patellofemoral joint (PFJ) cartilage injuries were classified into four groups: Recht Ⅰ, Recht Ⅱ, Recht Ⅲ and Recht Ⅳ. MRI T2 mapping was used to measure the T2 values of patellar cartilage. Pearson or Spearman correlation analysis was employed to evaluate the relationships both between the MRI quantitative parameter (T2 values) and age, body mass index (BMI), PFJ Recht grading, KOA KLG and the correlation between PFJ Recht grading and KOA KLG.Results Higher T2 values were associated with older age (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Higher T2 values correlated with more severe PFJ Recht grading (r = 0.86, P < 0.001). Higher T2 values were also linked to more advanced KOA KLG (r = 0.47, P < 0.001). Additionally, more severe PFJ Recht grading was associated with higher KOA KLG (r = 0.41, P < 0.001).Conclusions A moderate correlation was identified between PFOA and TFOA, indicating potential shared characteristics between the two conditions, this association serves as radiographic support for total knee protective therapy.
[Keywords] patellofemoral osteoarthritis；tibiofemoral osteoarthritis；magnetic resonance imaging；T2 mapping；Kellgren-Lawrence grading；Recht grading

RAN Chunyan1   WANG Xiangao1   XU Gaoqiang1   LIU Junwei1   WANG Dan1   LI Xiaomei1   HE Shengsheng2   LIU Heng1   ZHANG Tijiang1, 3*  

1 Department of Radiology, Affiliated Hospital of Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi 563000, China

2 Department of Radiology, People's Hospital of Wuchuan Autonomous County, Zunyi 564300, China

3 Department of Medical Technology, Bijie Medical College, Bijie 551700, China

Corresponding author: ZHANG T J, E-mail: tijzhang@163.com

Conflicts of interest   None.

Received  2024-04-01
Accepted  2025-09-10
DOI: 10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.09.021
Cite this article as: RAN C Y, WANG　X G, XU G Q, et al. A study on the correlation between patellofemoral and tibiofemoral osteoarthritis based on multimodal imaging[J]. Chin J Magn Reson Imaging, 2025, 16(9): 140-145. DOI:10.12015/issn.1674-8034.2025.09.021.

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