title: The lateral compartment in knees with isolated medial and patellofemoral osteoarthritis: a histologic analysis of articular cartilage.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine, at a histologic level, the articular cartilage of the radiographically normal lateral compartment in knees with isolated medial and possibly patellofemoral osteoarthritis. Twenty patients with radiographic evidence of medial compartment osteoarthritis and a radiographically osteoarthritis-free lateral compartment underwent a tricompartmental total knee arthroplasty. The resected lateral femoral condyle and lateral tibial plateau were evaluated by a fellowship-trained musculoskeletal pathologist for the presence, or lack thereof, of osteoarthritis at a microscopic level. Both the tibia and femur showed evidence of mild osteoarthritis at a microscopic level. This study shows that in patients with radiographic evidence of medial osteoarthritis and a radiographically normal lateral compartment, there is mild osteoarthritis in the lateral compartment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA.
authors.forename: Todd C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Moen
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Laskin
authors.forename: Lalit
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puri
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D019645:Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010003:Osteoarthritis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D011859:Radiography; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery