• This is the most common joint disorder – it is a balance between degenerative joint destruction (stressed bone) and repair (non-stressed bone) • Primary OA: there is no underlying cause • Secondary OA: joints are damaged by previous disease Central erosions and marginal osteophytes (a ‘gull wing’ pattern) affecting the DIP joints • Differential: psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis – however these will have no 1st CMC joint involvement and will have marginal (as opposed to central) erosions with no true osteophyte formation • There is recurrent bleeding into a joint due to a deficiency of blood clotting factors • Acute: joint effusion and oedema • Chronic: juxta-articular osteoporosis resulting from haemorrhage and periarticular hyperaemia Conditions associated with neuropathic arthropathy* • This is otherwise known as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis or juvenile chronic arthritis • It is an inflammatory disorder of the connective tissues characterized by joint swelling, pain and tenderness affecting ≥ 1 joints for at least 6 weeks in patients who are < 16 years of age • Acute systemic onset type (Still’s disease): constitutional symptoms • Oligoarthritis: ≤ 4 joints involved during the 1st 6 months, usually progressing to: • Polyarthritis: ≥ 5 joints involved (both presentations are equally common) • Systemic arthritis: arthritis + a systemic illness • A multifocal entity characterized by ‘flowing’ ligamentous spinal ossification involving • There is no apophyseal or sacroiliac joint fusion (cf. ankylosing spondylitis)
Joint disease
INTRODUCTION
CLINICAL AND RADIOLOGICAL FINDINGS IN JOINT DISEASE
Condition
Site of involvement
Discriminatory findings
Primary osteoarthritis (F>M > 45 years)
Hands
Large joints (e.g. hip, knee)
Spine
PIP and DIP joint involvement (Heberden’s and Bouchard’s nodes) no osteopenia
Joint space narrowing subchondral sclerosis
subchondral cysts
marginal osteophytes
Degenerative disc disease spondylosis deformans
apophyseal joint involvement
spinal stenosis
foraminal stenosis
Erosive osteoarthritis (affects middle-aged females)
Hands
PIP and DIP joint involvement joint ankylosis
‘gull-wing’ deformities (central erosions and marginal osteophytes)
Rheumatoid arthritis (F>M Rh factor positive)
Hand and wrist
Large joints
Spine
Symmetrical arthritis MCP and PIP joint involvement
periarticular (early) and diffuse (late) osteopenia
marginal erosions
subluxation (swan neck and boutonnière deformities)
periostitis is uncommon
Joint space narrowing marginal erosions
synovial cysts
protrusio acetabulae
Atlantoaxial subluxation
Juvenile idiopathic arthritis (M = F affects children)
Hands
Large joints (e.g. knee)
Cervical spine
Joint ankylosis florid periosteal reaction
osteopenia
Abnormalities of growth and maturation epiphyseal overgrowth and premature closure of the physis
widened intercondylar notch
Apophyseal joint fusion atlantoaxial subluxation
Psoriatic arthritis (M>F nail changes
HLA-B27 +ve)
Upper extremities (e.g. hands and feet)
SI joints
Spine
‘Sausage’ digit DIP joint involvement
terminal tuft erosion
pencil-in-cup deformity
joint ankylosis
arthritis mutilans
periosteal reaction
no osteopenia
Asymmetric or unilateral sacroiliitis
Coarse syndesmophytes
Reiter’s syndrome (affects young male adults)
Lower extremities (e.g. foot)
Spine
SI joints
Hallux involvement periosteal reaction
calcaneal erosions
osteopenia not prominent
Coarse syndesmophytes
Asymmetric or unilateral sacroiliitis
Ankylosing spondylitis (M>F affects young adults
HLA-B27 +ve in 95%)
SI joints
Spine
Pelvis
Bilateral symmetrical sacroiliitis ankylosis
Anterior vertebral body squaring syndesmophytes
paravertebral ossification
bamboo spine
‘Whiskering’ of the iliac crests and ischial tuberosities
Enteropathic arthropathies
SI joints
Symmetrical sacroiliitis
Gout (M>F)
Hands and feet (especially the great toe)
MTP joint of the great toe juxta-articular erosions
punched-out lesions with an overhanging margin
no periarticular osteopenia
tophi
CPPD crystal deposition disease (M = F)
Any peripheral joint predilection for the knee
Degenerative changes chondrocalcinosis
paucity of subchondral sclerosis
HA crystal deposition disease (M = F)
Predilection for the shoulder (supraspinatus tendon)
Periarticular calcification
Haemochromatosis (M>F)
Hands
2nd and 3rd MCP joint involvement (‘squared’ metacarpal heads) joint space narrowing
‘hook-like’ osteophytes
numerous subchondral cysts
Alkaptonuria (ochronosis) (M = F)
Intervertebral discs SI joints
large joints
Degenerative changes: disc calcification joint space narrowing
periarticular sclerosis
Systemic lupus erythematosus (F>M affects young adults)
Hands
Reversible MCP joint subluxation
Scleroderma (F>M affects adults)
Hands
IP joint arthritis acro-osteolysis
soft tissue calcifications
Mixed connective tissue disease (overlap syndrome)
Hands
PIP joint, MCP joint, mid-carpal involvement soft tissue swelling, calcifications or atrophy
Multicentric reticulohistiocytosis (F>M)
Hands and feet
DIP joint and carpal involvement soft tissue swelling
articular erosions
no osteopenia
Polymyositis / dermatomyositis
Proximal extremities
Hands
Soft tissue calcification
DIP joint erosions
Sarcoidosis
Distal and middle phalanges of the hands and feet
Punched-out cyst-like lesions ‘lace-like’ appearance
Haemophilic arthropathy (affecting males – but with female carriers)
Predilection for large joints (e.g. knee)
Epiphyseal overgrowth juxta-articular osteopenia
erosion and cartilage destruction
widened intercondylar and trochlear notches
squared patella
Neuropathic arthropathy
Any joint
5 ‘D’s’: normal bone Density joint Distension
bony Debris
joint Disorganization
Dislocation
Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy
Tubular bones (radius and ulna > tibia and fibula)
Diaphyseal and metaphyseal painful periostitis
OSTEOARTHRITIS
DEFINITION
it occurs in the context of normal biomechanical forces
The joints most at risk: thumb base
DIP joints
acromioclavicular joints
knees
hips
1st MTP joints
spinal apophyseal joints
PEARLS
XR
Radiological finding
Pathological cause
Localized joint space narrowing
Articular cartilage fibrillation, ulceration and erosion lead to changes in collagen and protein polysaccharide structure of cartilage. This results in reduced turgor
Subchondral bony sclerosis
Increased osteoblastic activity resulting in new bone formation and increased cellularity of the subchondral bone
Osteophyte formation (most commonly marginal)
Cartilage and bone proliferation and revascularization of remaining cartilage
Bone cysts and bone collapse
Subchondral micro-fractures and passage of synovial fluid under pressure through the damaged cartilage to excavate a subchondral cyst
Gross deformity with subluxation
Ligamentous laxity resulting from mechanical force applied after the distortion of capsular structures
Loose bodies
Fragments of bone and cartilage become separated and, if not resorbed, become loose in the joint. They may reattach to the membrane, become vascularized and undergo endochondral ossification
Fibrocartilage or hyaline cartilage calcification
This is usually due to calcium pyrophosphate deposition disease (CPPD). The reparative response is usually quite florid
HAEMOPHILIC AND NEUROPATHIC ARTHROPATHIES
HAEMOPHILIC ARTHROPATHY
DEFINITION
the repeated intra-articular bleeding leads to villous synovial hypertrophy with the accumulation of haemosiderin within macrophages
RADIOLOGICAL FEATURES
Location
XR
increased radio-opacity of the periarticular soft tissues and synovium (due to haemosiderin deposition)
articular erosion and cartilage destruction (due to a thickened synovium)
secondary osteoarthritis (subchondral cysts are common)
Knee: a widened intercondylar notch
a squared patella
it demonstrates similar appearances to juvenile rheumatoid arthritis
Stage I: soft tissue swelling (± joint effusion)
normal joint surfaces
Stage II: stage I + periarticular osteoporosis
epiphyseal overgrowth
Stage III: erosions, sclerosis and subchondral cysts
the joint space is preserved
Stage IV: stage III + focal or diffuse joint space narrowing
Stage V: a stiff contracted joint with significant degenerative change
Condition
Prevalence of arthropathy
Joints most commonly affected
Congenital insensitivity to pain
100%
Ankle, tarsal, knee, hip
Syringomyelia
20–50%
Shoulder, elbow, wrist, cervical spine
Neurosyphilis
5–10%
Knee, hip
Diabetes mellitus
1%
Midfoot, forefoot
Alcohol related
Rare
Foot
JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS AND DISH
JUVENILE IDIOPATHIC ARTHRITIS (JIA)
DEFINITION
CLINICAL PRESENTATION
hepatosplenomegaly
there is little joint involvement
there is often asymmetrical involvement of the peripheral joints
there can also be a psoriatic arthritis and an enthesitis-related arthritis
DIFFUSE IDIOPATHIC SKELETAL HYPEROSTOSIS (DISH) (FORESTIER’S DISEASE)
DEFINITION
4 contiguous vertebrae with preservation of the underlying disc height (cf. degenerative disc disease)
there is hyperostosis of certain ligamentous attachments
Joint disease
