Comparing the Accuracy of Radiography and Sonography in Detection of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Diagnostic Study

Hadi Majidi; Fatemeh Niksolat; Khatereh  Anbari

doi:10.3889/oamjms.2019.617

Authors

Hadi Majidi Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Orthopedic Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Fatemeh Niksolat Department of Rheumatology, Faculty of Medicine, Orthopedic Research Center, Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, Sari, Iran
Khatereh Anbari Department of Community Medicine, Lorestan University of Medical Sciences, Khorramabad, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3889/oamjms.2019.617

Keywords:

Osteoarthritis, Knee, Sensitivity and Specificity, Radiography, Ultrasonography

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disorder occurring in elderly people. Radiography and sonography are convenient techniques to detect diverse pathological features of knee OA.

BACKGROUND: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common degenerative disorder occurring in older people. Radiography and sonography are convenient techniques to detect diverse pathological features of knee OA.

AIM: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic efficacy of radiography and sonography in the detection of diverse features of knee OA.

METHODS: In a prospective cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study, 50 consecutive patients with suspected knee OA (40 women and 10 men, mean age 41.2 Â± 6.1 years), referred to the rheumatology clinic of the Shohada Hospital of Khorramabad. All obtained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), radiographic and sonography images were evaluated by two radiologists and rheumatologist with sufficient expertise in degenerative knee disorders. MRI has been considered as a gold standard test in evaluating other tests. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values (PPV), negative predictive values (NPV) and accuracy with 95% confidence intervals of radiography and sonography in the diagnosis of knee OA were calculated.

RESULTS: Prevalence of the marginal osteophyte, geode and decreased joint thickness were significantly higher in patients with age > 40 years compared to â‰¤ 40 years (P Ë‚ 0.05). The incidence of diverse features of knee OA was not significantly different in terms of the patientâ€™s gender, except for decreased joint space. The specificity of radiography was higher than its sensitivity.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed that both radiography and sonography are useful imaging modalities, especially to diagnosis the positive cases of knee OA. The specificity of radiography is higher than to its sensitivity for all pathological features of knee OA. The sensitivity of sonography to detect some features of knee OA such as decreased joint thickness is considerably higher than radiography.