ObjectiveWhile it is established that structural damage of the meniscus is linked to knee osteoarthritis (OA) progression, the predisposition to future development of OA due to geometric meniscal shapes is plausible and unexplored. This study aims to identify common variations in meniscal shape and determine their relationships to tissue morphology, OA onset, and longitudinal changes in cartilage thickness.Methods4,790 participants from the Osteoarthritis Initiative dataset were studied. A statistical shape model was developed for the meniscus and shape scores were evaluated between a control group and an OA incidence group. Shape features were then associated with cartilage thickness changes over 8 years to localize the relationship between meniscus shape and cartilage degeneration.ResultsSeven shape features between the medial and lateral menisci were identified to be different between knees that remain normal and those that develop OA. These include length‐width ratios, horn lengths, root attachment angles, and concavity. These “at‐risk” shapes were linked to unique cartilage thickness changes that suggest a relationship between meniscus geometry and decreased tibial coverage and rotational imbalances. Additionally, strong associations were found between meniscal shape and demographic subpopulations, future tibial extrusion, and meniscal and ligamentous tears.ConclusionThis automatic method expanded upon known meniscus characteristics that are associated with the onset of OA and also discovered novel shape features that have yet to be investigated in the context of OA risk.
While meniscal morphology is central to its capacity for weight distribution and stabilization in the knee joint, the relationship between the geometric shape of the meniscus and osteoarthritis is relatively unexplored. With 4,791 subjects from the Osteoarthritis Initiative, this study utilizes an automatic statistical shape modeling technique to identify variations in meniscus morphology as precursors to future development of osteoarthritis. Seven of the 20 shape features extracted were found to be significantly associated with osteoarthritis incidence. These features were further characterized with local changes in cartilage thickness across 8 years.
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