Development of an MRI-based Definition of Knee Osteoarthritis: Data from the Multicenter Osteoarthritis Study

Purpose: Despite becoming the imaging modality of choice, there is no widely accepted MRI definition of knee OA. Cartilage loss is the signature feature of OA and radiographic definitions have been based on the presence of osteophytes. Other features have been linked to pain or have been identified as critical disease elements including synovitis, bone marrow lesions, meniscal tears. Using a Delphi panel, one group developed a consensus definition that has not been validated, and which was limited by different definitions of OA for the tibiofemoral (TF) versus patellofemoral (PF) compartments (Hunter et al, 2013). Our objective was to test the performance of different potential MRI definitions of knee OA.