Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis, abbreviated OA, is a degenerative disease of the joint.
General
Risks
It is associated with:[1]
- Advanced age.
- Trauma.
- Unusual loading (bony misalignment, obesity).
Gross pathology/radiology
Features:[2]
- Loss of cartilage, especially asymmetrical.
- Marble-like appearance - polished appearance known as eburnation.
- Osteophyte formation.
- Subchondral cysts - located where there is loss of cartilage.[3]
- Subchondral sclerosis.
Memory device LOSS:
- Loss of cartilage, Osteophyte formation, Subchondral cysts, Subchondral sclerosis.
Notes:
- Osteophytes are classically medial and lateral in the hip.[4]
- They tend to form in areas with high loading.
- Subchondral cysts are also seen in rheumatoid arthritis.[3]
Microscopic
Features:[5]
- Vertical clefts of the cartilage - characteristic.
- Thickening of bony trabeculae (reactive phenomenon) due to fibrosis.
- Subchondral cysts.
- +/-Mild inflammation (lymphocytes).
- +/-Villous hyperplasia - synovium has finger-like projections into the joint space.
- Normal synovium has a flat surface.
- Osteophytes - ossified projections at the edge of the articular cartilage (bony spurs).
Images:
- Osteoarthritis showing villous hyperplasia - panel B (els-cdn.com).
- Osteophyte (medpath.info).[6]
- OA (rheumatology.org).
- OA versus normal (med.nyu.edu).[7]
See also
References
- ↑ Martel-Pelletier, J.; Pelletier, JP. (Apr 2010). "Is osteoarthritis a disease involving only cartilage or other articular tissues?". Eklem Hastalik Cerrahisi 21 (1): 2-14. PMID 20302555. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/corehtml/query/egifs/http:--www.tevak.org-images-Eklemlinkout.png.
- ↑ Swagerty, DL.; Hellinger, D. (Jul 2001). "Radiographic assessment of osteoarthritis.". Am Fam Physician 64 (2): 279-86. PMID 11476273. http://www.aafp.org/afp/2001/0715/p279.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Resnick, D.; Niwayama, G.; Coutts, RD. (May 1977). "Subchondral cysts (geodes) in arthritic disorders: pathologic and radiographic appearance of the hip joint.". AJR Am J Roentgenol 128 (5): 799-806. PMID 404905.
- ↑ Claassen, H.; Tschirner, T. (Jan 2003). "Topographical and histological examination of osteophytes taken from arthrotic femoral heads.". Ann Anat 185 (1): 67-71. PMID 12597129.
- ↑ Humphrey, Peter A; Dehner, Louis P; Pfeifer, John D (2008). The Washington Manual of Surgical Pathology (1st ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. pp. 658. ISBN 978-0781765275.
- ↑ URL: http://www.medpath.info/MainContent/Skeletal/Joint_02.html. Accessed on: 10 November 2012.
- ↑ URL: http://www.med.nyu.edu/medicine/labs/abramsonlab/basic-arth-research.html. Accessed on: 10 November 2012.
