Ultrasonographic measurement of femoral cartilage thickness in acromegalic patients

Joint involvement is one of the most frequent clinical complications of acromegaly. The aim of this study was to evaluate the femoral cartilage thicknesses of acromegalic patients using ultrasound (US). Sixty-two patients diagnosed with acromegaly (30 F, 32 M) were included. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were recorded. The thickness of the femoral articular cartilage was measured using a 6- to 18-MHz linear probe. Measurements were performed bilaterally from three points (medial condyle, intercondylar area, and lateral condyle). Of the patients, 14 (22.5 %) reported pain in the knee joints. A significantly higher femoral articular cartilage thickness was determined in the patients compared with the controls (all parameters, p