title: Ultrasonographic Assessment of the Distal Femoral Cartilage Thickness in Patients with Homozygous Sickle Cell Disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare the distal femoral cartilage thickness of patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) with those of healthy subjects using ultrasonography.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study comprised 30 patients with SCD (16 male, 14 female; mean age, 30.1 years) and 30 age- and sex-matched healthy subjects. Demographic features and medications of the patients were recorded. With the knees held in maximum flexion, the femoral cartilage thickness was measured bilaterally with a 7- to 12-MHz linear probe. Using ultrasonography, 3 midpoint measurements were taken from both knees: lateral femoral condyle (LFC), intercondylar area (ICA), and medial femoral condyle (MFC).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with SCD had thinner femoral cartilage thickness values at LFC (P = 0.004), at MFC (P = 0.000), and ICA (P = 0.002) when compared with those of the healthy subjects. Patients with SCD also had lower Hb levels (P = 0.000) levels. Weak positive correlations were determined between Hemoglobin (Hb) levels and ultrasonographic measurements in the SCD group at MFC (r = 0.331, P = 0.010), and ICA (r = 0.289 , P = 0.025 ). Low levels of Hb seem to affect the femoral cartilage thickness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These preliminary findings of decreased femoral cartilage thickness in SCD patients should be complemented with future studies. The possibility of early knee joint degeneration and eventual osteoarthritis in SCD should be kept in mind.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mustafa Kemal University Medical School, Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mustafa Turgut
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Yildizgoren
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University Medical School, Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Rami
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Helvaci
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mustafa Kemal University Medical School, Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nilgun
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ustun
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Mustafa Kemal University Medical School, Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: Kasim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Osmanoglu
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Mustafa Kemal University Medical School, Hatay, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ayse Dicle
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Turhanoglu
keywords: femoral cartilage thickness; hemoglobin; sickle-cell disease; ultrasound