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Anatomical Alignment as Predictor of Cartilage Loss

Comparing femorotibial angle measure with the gold standard

Publish date:: September 21, 2015

After adjustment, the new femorotibial angle (FTA) measure obtained from short (fixed-flexion) knee films was as good as the gold standard mechanical axis in predicting medial and lateral cartilage loss over 1 or 2 years, without need for obtaining long-limb radiographs for determining the mechanical axis. This according to a study of 934 patients with radiographic osteoarthritis (OA). Researchers found:

• Pearson correlation coefficients between 2-year medial femorotibial compartment (MFTC) and lateral femorotibial compartment (LFTC) cartilage loss and alignment measures were small to moderate, and were similar for FTA and hip-knee-ankle (HKA).

• Using the adjusted FTA measure, varus and valgus predicted MFTC progression and LFTC progression as well as HKA over 1 year and over 2 years.

• Goniometry was a weak predictor for MFTC and LFTC progression.

Citation: Moyer R, Wirth W, Duryea J, Eckstein F. Anatomical alignment, but not goniometry, predicts femorotibial cartilage loss as well as mechanical alignment: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative. [Published online ahead of print September 14, 2015]. Osteoarthr Cartilage. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joca.2015.08.016.

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