Does spontaneous cartilage thickening occur in osteoarthritic knees? Data from IMI-APPROACH and the OAI
Authors' conclusion
Spontaneous cartilage thickening occurs in a relevant proportion of knees with or at risk of knee OA.
Study context
- Population
- Knees of patients with or at high risk of knee osteoarthritis (OA), IMI-APPROACH and OAI
- Participants
- 1,447 knees
- Exposure
- Knees with cartilage thickening vs knees with cartilage thinning
- Thickeningn = 203
- Outcome
- Occurrence of spontaneous cartilage thickening (increase in both mJSW and ThCtAB)
- Follow-up
- Two years
Methodological detailsdata from IMI-APPROACH and OAI, radiographic and MRI data at baseline, one year and two years, per-patient fitted linear regression lines
- Data from IMI-APPROACH and OAI
- Radiographic and MRI data at baseline, one year and two years
- Per-patient fitted linear regression lines
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Cartilage thickening
Thickening
14%
203
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Age
P < 0.001
Female
P = 0.011
KL grade 0 or 1
P < 0.001
mm/year
| Outcome | Thickening | Thinning |
|---|---|---|
| mJSW change · two years | +0.11 | −0.15 |
| ThCtAB change · two years | +0.03 | −0.05 |
- Hyaluronic acid injections during follow-up
- P = 0.045
BMI or weight change
- No significant differences
Hyaluronic acid injections during follow-up
- Fewer in the thickening group
Sensitivity analyses (alternative JSW and MRI thresholds)
- Confirmed these findings
Original publication
Does spontaneous cartilage thickening occur in osteoarthritic knees? Data from IMI-APPROACH and the OAI. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. Published 6 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →