The purpose of this study was to analyze potential quantitative and qualitative changes of the knee cartilage and joint indicative of early posttraumatic OA 4 years after ACL-reconstruction and to correlate the MRI-findings with the clinical outcome (CO).
1.5 T MRI-scans were performed on 9 patients post-op and 4 years later. Using a high-resolution T 1-w-fs-FLASH-3D-sequence cartilage volume (cVol) and thickness (mTh) were quantified. Using standard PD-w fs and T 1-w sequences qualitative changes of the joint structures were analyzed based on the WORMS-score. CO was rated by an orthopaedic surgeon using Lysholm-score, OAK-score, Tegner-activity-score (TAS), and Arthrometer KT-1000 testing.
Mean changes of cVol were -1.8 % (range: -5.9 %; + 0.7 %) and of mTh -0.8 % (range: -3.0 %; + 1.1 %). No significant change (95 %-CI) could be identified for any compartment. Three patients developed new peripatellar ostheophytes, acute trauma related changes mostly decreased. Mean outcome of Lysholm-score and OAK-score were 90 pts and 86 pts, mean TAS was 4.3 pts. Average maximum tibial translation reached 5.2 mm comparing to 6.7 mm on the healthy contralateral side.
Despite a tendency towards decreased cVol and mTh 4 years after ACL-reconstruction qMRI revealed no significant cartilage loss. Newly developing osteophytes did not match with the observed good CO. This small pilot study motivates future quantitative and qualitative-structural MRI-based assessment of articular cartilage and other joint structures in order to improve diagnostic tools for the detection of early OA.