title: Magnetic resonance imaging in knee osteoarthritis research: semiquantitative and compositional assessment.
abstract: Semiquantitative assessment of the knee by expert magnetic resonance imaging readers is a powerful research tool for understanding the natural history of osteoarthritis (OA). Several reliable semiquantitative scoring systems have been applied to large observational cross-sectional and longitudinal epidemiologic studies and interventional clinical trials. Such evaluations have enabled understanding of the relevance of disease in structures within the knee joint to explain pain and progression of OA. Compositional imaging of cartilage has added to our ability to detect early degeneration before morphologic changes are present, which may help to prevent the permanent morphologic changes commonly seen in knee OA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Quantitative Imaging Center, Boston University School of Medicine, 820 Harrison Avenue, FGH Building, 3rd Floor, Boston, MA 02118, USA. michelcrema@gmail.com
authors.forename: Michel D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Crema
authors.forename: Frank W
authors.initials: FW
authors.lastname: Roemer
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Guermazi
mesh_terms: D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000293:injuries / Q000473:pathology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D018450:Disease Progression; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index