Associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and changes in tibiofemoral joint structures in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Jun Chang, Tianyu Chen, Yizhu Yan, Zhaohua Zhu, Weiyu Han, Yi Zhao, Benny Antony, Anita Wluka, Tania Winzenberg, Flavia Cicuttini, Changhai Ding, Jun Chang, Tianyu Chen, Yizhu Yan, Zhaohua Zhu, Weiyu Han, Yi Zhao, Benny Antony, Anita Wluka, Tania Winzenberg, Flavia Cicuttini, Changhai Ding

Abstract

Background: To describe the longitudinal associations between the morphological parameters of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) and joint structural changes in tibiofemoral compartments in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods: The participants were selected from the Vitamin D Effects on Osteoarthritis (VIDEO) study. PTFJ morphological parameters were measured on coronal and sagittal MRI. The contacting area (S) of PTFJ and its projection areas onto the horizontal (load-bearing area, Sτ), sagittal (lateral stress-bolstering area, Sφ), and coronal plane (posterior stress-bolstering area, Sυ) were assessed. Knee structural abnormalities, including cartilage defects, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), and cartilage volume, were evaluated at baseline and after 2 years. Log binominal regression models and linear regression models were used to assess the associations between PTFJ morphological parameters and osteoarthritic structural changes.

Results: In the longitudinal analyses, the S (RR: 1.45) and Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ were significantly and positively associated with an increase in medial tibial (MT) cartilage defects. The Sτ (β: - 0.07), Sυ (β: - 0.07), and S (β: - 0.06) of PTFJ were significantly and negatively associated with changes in MT cartilage volume. The Sτ (RR: 1.55) of PTFJ was positively associated with an increase in MT BMLs, and Sφ (RR: 0.35) was negatively associated with an increase in medial femoral BMLs.

Conclusions: This longitudinal study suggests that higher load-bearing area of PTFJ could be a risk factor for structural changes in medial tibiofemoral (MTF) compartment in knee OA.

Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01176344 Anzctr.org.au Identifier: ACTRN12610000495022 Date of registration: 7 May 2010.

Conflict of interest statement

None of the authors have any competing interest to declare.

© 2022. The Author(s).

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Measures of proximal tibiofibular joint (PTFJ) morphological parameters. A T1-weighted coronal MRI slices of the knee. Point c is the outermost point of the fibular articular surface, and a is the innermost point of the articular surface in PTFJ. e is the lateral vertex of the tibial plateau, and f is the medial vertex of the tibial plateau. Line oa is drawn through a, which is parallel to line ef. The length of ac and the angle oac (α) are measured in each slice of MRI. B Sagittal fat-suppressed T1-weighted 3D gradient-echo MRI. Point b is the lowest point of the fibular articular surface, and c is the highest point of the fibular articular surface in PTFJ. e and f are points that connect the anterior and posterior horns of the lateral meniscus with the tibial plateau, respectively, and line ef is parallel to the tibial plateau. Line ob is drawn through b and is parallel to ef. The length between bc and the angle of obc (β) are then measured in each slice of MRI
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Associations between the areas of PTFJ and change in tibial cartilage volume per annum. The contacting area and load-bearing area of PTFJ were significantly associated with increased loss of cartilage volume at the medial (A, B) but not the lateral (C, D) tibial site. Partial r and p values were obtained after adjustment for age, sex, height, weight, and total tibial bone size

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