Research progress of ultrasound in accurate evaluation of cartilage injury in osteoarthritis

Abstract

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent cause of joint algesia, loss of function, and disability in adults, with cartilage injury being its core pathological manifestation. Since cartilage damage is non-renewable, the treatment outcome in the middle and late stages of OA is unsatisfactory, which can be minimized by changing lifestyle and other treatment modalities if diagnosed and managed in the early stages, indicating the importance of early diagnosis and monitoring of cartilage injury. Ultrasound technology has been used for timely diagnosis and even cartilage injury treatment, which is convenient and safe for the patient owing to no radiation exposure. Studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of ultrasound and its various quantitative ultrasound parameters, like ultrasound roughness index (URI), reflection coefficient (R), apparent integrated backscatter (AIB), thickness, and ultrasound elastography, in the early and accurate assessment of OA cartilage pathological changes, including surface and internal tissue, hardness, and thickness. Although many challenges are faced in the clinical application of this technology in diagnosis, ultrasound and ultrasound-assisted techniques offer a lot of promise for detecting early cartilage damage in OA. In this review, we have discussed the evaluation of ultrasonic cartilage quantitative parameters for early pathological cartilage changes.