The correlation between magnetic resonance detected cartilage defects and spiking of tibial tubercles in osteoarthritis of the knee joint

The aim of the study was to ascertain whether spiking of the tibial tubercle is associated with cartilage defects detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee joint. Angulation of the tip of the medial and lateral tubercles, and the height of the tubercles above the tibial plateau were measured on a standard anteroposterior radiograph of the knee joint. Cartilage defects in the tibiofemoral joint (TFJ) were determined by MRI examination. The lengthening and sharpening of the angles of the tubercles were significantly more prominent in the patients than controls. A strong association was found between angulation (if less than 70 degrees) and especially the height (if more than 0.16) of the medial tibial spike and MRI-detected cartilage defects in the medial tibiofemoral compartment. The predictive value of the spiking of tibial tubercles for MRI-detected cartilage defects in TFJ is related to the degree and size of the spiking. The presence of tibial spiking itself may not be a reliable sign of early OA.