Hunter David J
Division of Research, New England Baptist Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02120, USA.
Bull NYU Hosp Jt Dis. 2008;66(3):251-60.
Historically plain radiography has been the primary investigative tool by which structure in osteoarthritis is measured. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is widely used in medical diagnosis for its various advantageous features, such as high-resolution capability, the ability to produce an arbitrary anatomic cross-sectional image, and wide range of available tissue contrast. Its ability to image features such as the subchondral bone, cartilage and soft tissue structures means that its application in knee osteoarthritis (OA) raises hope of improving our understanding of structural associations of pain and function in OA joints, previously based on conventional radiography. Additionally, MRI has the potential for assessing the effect of risk factors for epidemiologic investigation and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions in OA clinical trials.
从历史角度来看，普通X线摄影一直是测量骨关节炎结构的主要检查手段。磁共振成像（MRI）因其具有多种优势特性，如高分辨率能力、能够生成任意解剖横断面图像以及广泛的可用组织对比度，而在医学诊断中得到广泛应用。它对软骨下骨、软骨和软组织结构等特征进行成像的能力意味着，其在膝关节骨关节炎（OA）中的应用为改善我们对OA关节疼痛与功能的结构关联的理解带来了希望，此前这一理解是基于传统X线摄影的。此外，MRI有潜力用于评估流行病学调查中风险因素的影响以及OA临床试验中治疗干预措施的有效性。
