Diagnosis and Longitudinal Assessment of Osteoarthritis




Osteoarthritis (OA) is a major chronic and global health care problem. Recent technological advances in imaging and postprocessing techniques have enhanced the understanding and characterization of the pathophysiology of this chronic and prevalent disease. Although plain radiograph remains the modality of choice for initial assessment of OA, recent studies have shown that advanced cross-sectional imaging can improve the early detection, grading, structural damage quantification, and risk stratification of OA. This article discusses the currently available evidence regarding both the conventional and novel imaging modalities that can be used for evaluation of patients with OA and its longitudinal assessment.


Key points








  • Radiographs remain the imaging modality of choice in osteoarthritis (OA) in clinical practice.



  • MRI being used for detection and quantification of various OA features as an essential research tool.



  • Four-dimensional computed tomography (4-D CT) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) have special applications when a diagnosis of underlying dynamic changes is suspected.


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Sep 28, 2017 | Posted by in RHEUMATOLOGY | Comments Off on Diagnosis and Longitudinal Assessment of Osteoarthritis

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