Could Whole-Organ Magnetic Resonance Imaging Score (WORMS) Components Predict Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis?

Predict Pain in Knee Osteoarthritis? 1 Wegrzyn, J; 1 D’Apuzzo, M R; 2 Amrami, K K; 3 Larson, D R; + Kaufman, K R + Motion Analysis Laboratory, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 2 Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, 3 Biostatistics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN [email protected] INTRODUCTION: Pain is the major symptom in knee osteoarthritis (OA), contributes to a patients’ reduced function and quality of life and, importantly, constitutes a key determinant for medical or surgical treatment indication (1). Radiographs are still considered the gold standard method for assessment of the OA progression, and the Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) grading scale (i.e.; joint-space narrowing and osteophyte formation) is routinely used by clinicians to assess disease severity. However, the association between radiographic features of OA and knee pain has generally been accepted to be weak or modest, particularly for mildgrade OA (1, 2). Therefore, radiographic OA changes are only a keyhole view of pain in knee OA and their discriminating potential is limited. This study aimed to evaluate whether specific tissue lesions or structural abnormalities found with MRI in patients with knee OA was related to the severity of pain and therefore, could better explained the occurrence of symptoms in knee OA.