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Knee
Arthritis X-Ray
and MRI Findings
What
is Meant by Loss of Joint Space?
We generally assess the severity of
arthritis in a joint by the "loss of joint space".
This is best assessed, not by sophisticated
MRI imaging, but rather by a simple x-ray, done with you standing.
Often called the 'Rosenberg view", this simple x-ray can be the
most important piece of information to assess the severity of your
arthritis.
What constitutes
the joint space?
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The
"joint space" can be seen on this MRI as
representing the cartilage in the knee separating the two
bones of the knee joint, the femur and tibia.
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Between
these two bones, the joint can be divided into an inside or
medial part, and outside or lateral part. Wear of the joint
frequently occurs differently in each compartment. |
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X-rays
are very helpful in assessing "joint space". They
can be performed standing (weight bearing) as seen on left.
The space can narrow down demonstrating a more realistic
picture. For more details of the x-rays click on:
Weight
bearing x
A
typical appearance above demonstrates on one side of the
knee (lateral or outside) the "joint space" is
preserved but the inside (known as medial side) of the knee
demonstrates complete loss of "joint space".
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Here an arthroscopic
picture is superimposed onto an MRI, to help demonstrate
what constitutes a joint space of the knee. As you can see,
the arthroscopic picture gives as a far better idea of the
extent of the arthritis. Very early arthritis is often
missed on MRI. |
This
MRI, demonstrates a typical finding in early arthritis.
There is no loss of "joint space" but defects in
the cartilage can be seen, and are filled with joint fluid
(The white in the picture). |
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