Ishii Yosuke, Sugimoto Miharu, Nekomoto Akinori, Nakamae Atsuo, Zhu Kexin, Hashizume Takato, Matsumura Kohei, Nakashima Yuko, Takahashi Makoto, Adachi Nobuo
Department of Bio-Environmental Adaptation Sciences, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, 1-2-3 Kasumi, Minami-Ku, Hiroshima, 734-8551, Japan.
Department of Biomechanics, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima, Japan.
J Med Ultrason (2001). 2025 Sep 12. doi: 10.1007/s10396-025-01569-6.
Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is symptomatic, especially in terms of motion during activities of daily living. The infrapatellar fat pad (IFP) has a buffering function, owing to morphological changes within the knee joint, whereas poor morphological change in the anterior space of the IFP is often observed in symptomatic knee OA. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between morphological changes in the anterior space of the IFP during walking and symptoms in patients with knee OA.
Twenty-six patients with knee OA (OA group) and 11 healthy volunteers (control group) participated in this study. Ultrasonography revealed the IFP thickness in the anterior space during static and dynamic evaluations in the supine and walking positions. The waveform of the IFP during walking was constructed with a continuance value of the IFP in video mode. Moreover, it identified the difference in IFP between maximum and minimum values on the waveform as morphological change in IFP (ΔIFP). A three-dimensional motion analysis system was used to calculate the kinetics and kinematics of walking. The OA group underwent clinical evaluation using the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS).
ΔIFP in the OA group was smaller than that in the control group, whereas there was no significant difference in supine IFP thickness. Moreover, there was a significant positive correlation between ΔIFP and KOOS-pain in the knee OA group, but not in terms of other parameters of IFP, kinetics, and kinematics.
Patients with symptomatic knee OA exhibit restricted morphological change in IFP during walking.
膝关节骨关节炎（OA）有症状表现，尤其是在日常生活活动中的运动方面。髌下脂肪垫（IFP）具有缓冲功能，这归因于膝关节内的形态学变化，而在有症状的膝关节OA中，常观察到IFP前部空间形态变化不佳。本研究旨在调查膝关节OA患者行走过程中IFP前部空间的形态学变化与症状之间的相关性。
26例膝关节OA患者（OA组）和11名健康志愿者（对照组）参与了本研究。超声检查揭示了仰卧位和行走位静态及动态评估期间IFP前部空间的厚度。通过视频模式下IFP的连续值构建行走过程中IFP的波形。此外，将波形上IFP最大值与最小值之间的差异确定为IFP的形态学变化（ΔIFP）。使用三维运动分析系统计算行走的动力学和运动学。OA组使用膝关节损伤和骨关节炎疗效评分（KOOS）进行临床评估。
OA组的ΔIFP小于对照组，而仰卧位IFP厚度无显著差异。此外，膝关节OA组中ΔIFP与KOOS-疼痛之间存在显著正相关，但在IFP、动力学和运动学的其他参数方面不存在显著正相关。
有症状的膝关节OA患者在行走过程中IFP的形态学变化受限。
