Objectives. To determine whether articular cartilage defects are associated with cartilage loss and joint replacement in subjects with symptomatic knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. One hundred and seventeen subjects with symptomatic knee OA underwent magnetic resonance imaging of their dominant knee at baseline and 2yr later. Cartilage defects were identified as prevalent (defect score ≥2) in each knee compartment. Occurrence of joint replacement by 4yr was documented. Results. Cartilage defects were present in 81% of medial, 64% of lateral tibiofemoral compartments and 55% of patellar cartilages. Annual patellar cartilage loss was highest in those with defects compared with no defects (5.5% vs 3.2%, P = 0.01). Tibial cartilage loss was not associated with defects in the medial (4.6% vs 5.8%, P = 0.42) or lateral (4.7% vs 6.5%, P = 0.21) tibial cartilages. Higher total cartilage defect scores (8-15) were associated with a 6.0-fold increased risk of joint replacement over 4yr compared with those with lower scores (2-7) (95% confidence interval 1.6, 22.3), independently of potential confounders. Conclusions. Articular cartilage defects are associated with disease severity in knee OA and predict patellar cartilage loss and knee replacement. © The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

Item Type:	Refereed Article
Research Division:	Health Sciences
Research Group:	Epidemiology
Research Field:	Epidemiology not elsewhere classified
Objective Division:	Health
Objective Group:	Clinical health
Objective Field:	Clinical health not elsewhere classified
UTAS Author:	Ding, C (Professor Chang-Hai Ding)
UTAS Author:	Jones, G (Professor Graeme Jones)
ID Code:	37906
Year Published:	2005
Web of Science® Times Cited:	100
Deposited By:	Menzies Institute for Medical Research
Deposited On:	2005-08-01
Last Modified:	2006-04-08
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