title: Patellofemoral and tibiofemoral articular cartilage and subchondral bone health following arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine articular cartilage and subchondral bone changes in tibiofemoral and patellofemoral joints following partial medial meniscectomy.
  
  
  METHODS
  For this cross-sectional study, 158 patients aged 30-55 years, without evidence of knee osteoarthritis at arthroscopic partial medial meniscectomy (APMM), and 38 controls were recruited. MRI was performed once on the operated knee for each subcohort of 3 months, 2 or 4 years post-surgery, and the randomly assigned knee of the controls. Cartilage volume, cartilage defects, and bone size were assessed using validated methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with controls, APMM patients had more prevalent cartilage defects in medial tibiofemoral (OR = 3.17, 95%CI 1.24-8.11) and patellofemoral (OR = 13.76, 95%CI 1.52-124.80) compartments, and increased medial tibial plateau bone area (B = 143.8, 95%CI 57.4-230.2). Time from APMM was positively associated with cartilage defect prevalence in medial tibiofemoral (OR = 1.02, 95%CI 1.00-1.03) and patellofemoral (OR = 1.04, 95%CI 1.01-1.07) compartments, and medial tibial plateau area (B = 2.5, 95%CI 0.8-4.3), but negatively associated with lateral tibial cartilage volume (B = -4.9, 95%CI -8.4 to -1.5). The association of APMM and time from APMM with patellar cartilage defects was independent of tibial cartilage volume.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Partial medial meniscectomy is associated with adverse effects on articular cartilage and subchondral bone, which are associated with subsequent osteoarthritis, in both tibiofemoral and patellofemoral compartments.
  
  
  METHODS
  III.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
authors.forename: Yuanyuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Alasdair R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Dempsey
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.forename: Peter M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Mills
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wrigley
authors.forename: Kim L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Bennell
authors.forename: Ben
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Metcalf
authors.forename: Fahad
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Hanna
authors.forename: Flavia M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Cicuttini
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001182:Arthroscopy; D002358:Cartilage, Articular / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005269:Femur; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008592:Menisci, Tibial / Q000601:surgery*; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000209:etiology*; D057071:Patellofemoral Joint / Q000473:pathology*; D011183:Postoperative Complications; D013977:Tibia