Osteoarthritis of the knee after meniscal resection: long term radiographic evaluation of disease progression

Paradowski PT, Lohmander LS, Englund M · Osteoarthritis and Cartilage

Tibiofemoral radiographic osteoarthritis in the index knee rose from 107 subjects (48%) at the first assessment to 151 (68%) at the second, and patellofemoral osteoarthritis from 32 (14%) to 51 (23%). The sum of joint space narrowing and osteophyte grades increased in 144 index knees (64%) and in 79 contralateral knees (36%).

Population

221 subjects assessed twice by weight-bearing radiography 4 to 10 years apart, all of whom had undergone meniscectomy 15 to 22 years before the first assessment; mean age 60 at the second

Intervention

Serial radiographic grading of the index and contralateral knees

Limitations

No surgical control group at this stage of follow-up; the contralateral knee is the internal comparison and it is not independent of the index knee. Full text was not retrievable.