Correlation of radiological findings and per-operative findings in patients of osteoarthritis of knee: A retrospective analysis

OA knee is one of the most prevalent degenerative conditions. Conventional radiography is most frequently used for diagnosis and monitoring of OA knee, with scoring systems based on it, however, may not be very accurate to reflect actual changes. Very few studies have been done to investigate the reliability of these scoring systems. We conducted a retrospective study to correlate the radiographic grade of OA knee according to KL scale with the actual degree of articular cartilage degeneration according to Noyes Grade. The study included 100 patients, with age between 25 and 85 years presenting with chief complaints of knee pain and undergoing knee arthroscopy or TKA. Radiographic examination was done and graded according to KL criteria while findings of articular were graded according to Noyes system. The highest and total Noyes grade of all surfaces of knee were recorded and statistical analysis done. The mean age was 51.3 ± 14.23 years. Correlation coefficient for both Highest and Total Noyes grade of articular cartilage degeneration in relation to lower KL grades was found to be 0.851 and 0.829 and for Highest and Total Noyes grade of cartilage degeneration in relation to higher KL grades was found to be −0.052 and 0.606. Mild to moderate correlation between plain radiographs and morphological changes in OA knee suggesting that plain radiographs are less sensitive and specific for diagnosing OA knee. Therefore, for diagnosing the true stage and the ideal treatment, meticulous clinical examination, MR imaging and arthroscopic evaluation may be used as adjuncts .