MR Imaging of Degenerative Cartilage Lesions of the Knee Joint in Floor Layers and Graphic Designers

Bidragets oversatte titel: MR billeddannelse af degenerative bruskforandringer i knæleddet hos gulvlægger og grafiske designere

Søren Rytter, Birthe Lykke Thomsen, Birgitte Schütt Christensen, Lilli Kirkeskov

29 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Introduction: Kneeling work leads to an additional risk of
developing knee osteoarthritis (OA). Previous studies have
primarily been based on radiography, but radiography is limited
by its inability to visualize articular cartilage, in which the earliest
signs of OA occur. The objective of this explorative study, based
on available data, was to examine the prevalence of magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI)-detected knee cartilage lesions in male
floor layers exposed to kneeling work, as compared to non-exposed
male graphic designers.
Methods: MRI of the knees was conducted in 92 floor layers and
49 graphic designers, with a mean age of 55.6 years (42-70 years).
MRI-detected cartilage lesions were graded according to a ninepoint
lesion scale using a modified Whole Organ Resonance Score
(WORMS) system. Severe knee cartilage lesions were defined as
a maximal lesion score ≥ 3 in 1) the medial tibiofemoral posterior
area, the most strained area during kneeling and 2) the total knee.
Presence of lesions was compared in floor layers and graphic
designers after adjusting for age, BMI, seniority, knee injuries, and
sports activity in logistic regression analyses for correlated data,
and investigated as a risk factor for self-reported knee complaints
in ordinary logistic regression analyses.
Results: The prevalence of MRI-detected knee cartilage lesions
did not differ between the two occupations in the tibiofemoral
medial posterior area of the knee (p ≥ 0.50), or in the total knee (p ≥
0.29). For the two study groups combined, age showed a five-fold
increase in the odds of cartilage lesions per 10 years’ difference in
age, and presence of cartilage lesions was associated with a 2.5-
fold increase in the odds of self-reported knee complaints.
Conclusions: In contrast to our expectations, MRI-detectable
knee cartilage lesions were not more prevalent among workers
with knee-demanding work. This calls for further research that can
clarify the mechanisms that causes knee OA in occupations with
knee-demanding work.
Bidragets oversatte titelMR billeddannelse af degenerative bruskforandringer i knæleddet hos gulvlægger og grafiske designere
OriginalsprogEngelsk
Artikelnummer040
TidsskriftJournal of Rheumatic Diseases and Treatment
Vol/bind2
Udgave nummer3
Antal sider6
ISSN2469-5726
StatusUdgivet - 21 sep. 2016

Citationsformater