Osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint
Osteoarthritis of the knee joint (gonarthrosis) is a chronic disease in which there is progressive destruction of the cartilage tissue of the knee joint and impaired function.
It occurs more often in older people (primary gonarthrosis), but can occur at any age (secondary gonarthrosis). Secondary gonarthrosis develops, as a rule, as a result of trauma, various metabolic disorders, some endocrine or infectious diseases.
Depending on the severity of clinical manifestations, there are three stages of gonarthrosis: from the first, in which pain in the joint occurs periodically after exertion, to the third, severe stage of arthrosis, when the joint is significantly destroyed and the pain becomes almost constant.
HEALTHY KNEE JOINT
KNEE JOINT AFFECTED BY OSTEOARTHROSIS
The diagnosis of gonarthrosis is made based on the patient's complaints, objective examination data, and X-ray examination.
X-ray of the knee joint is a classic technique that allows you to clarify the diagnosis, establish the severity of pathological changes in the case of gonarthrosis and observe the dynamics of the process, taking repeated pictures after some time. Due to its availability and low cost, it still remains the main method for diagnosing gonarthrosis. In addition, this method of examination allows you to exclude other pathological processes (for example, tumors) in the tibia and femur.
In the initial stage of gonarthrosis, changes on radiographs may be absent. Later, narrowing of the joint space and compaction of the subchondral zone are determined. The articular ends of the femur and especially the tibia expand, the edges of the condyles become pointed.
When studying the radiograph, it should be taken into account that more or less pronounced changes characteristic of gonarthrosis are observed in most elderly people and are not always accompanied by pathological symptoms. The diagnosis of gonarthrosis is made only by a combination of radiological and clinical signs of the disease.
Currently, along with traditional radiography, modern techniques such as computed tomography of the knee joint, which allows for a detailed study of pathological changes in bone structures, and magnetic resonance imaging, which is used to detect changes in soft tissues, are used to diagnose gonarthrosis.
