DefinePK

Abstract

Background & Objectives: Knee joint osteoarthritis (OA) is usually a chronic disease with varying degrees of pain, joint effusion and disability. Besides clinical evaluation by the clinician, radiographic examination is routinely carried out. This study aimed to evaluate the association between knee OA severity and the presence and degree of joint effusion (JE) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and to examine correlations with demographic parameters.
Methodology: A total of 190 patients clinically diagnosed with knee OA underwent MRI evaluation. Knee OA severity was graded from 1 to 4, using the Park et al. (2013) MRI-based system, while JE was classified as absent, mild, moderate or severe. MRI scans were independently assessed by two experienced radiologists. Demographic data including age, gender, and laterality were recorded. Associations between JE and clinical variables were analyzed using chi-square tests, and statistical significance was set at P < 0.05.
Results: The cohort included 91 (47.9%) females and 99 (52.1%) males, with the majority aged between 31 and 50 years. Knee OA grading showed 31.6% with Grade 1, 21.6% with Grade 2, 23.2% with Grade 3, and 23.7% with Grade 4. JE was absent in 36.8%; it was mild in 50.5%, moderate in 11%, and severe in 1.6% of cases. There was no significant association between JE and gender (P = 0.36), age (P = 0.45), or side of involvement (P = 0.40). However, a highly significant correlation was found between JE and knee OA grade (P < 0.001), with moderate JE being most prevalent in Grade 4 cases (31.1%).
Conclusion: MRI-based assessment revealed a strong association between increasing severity of knee osteoarthritis and the presence and extent of joint effusion. These findings highlight the clinical utility of MRI in evaluating intra-articular changes and suggest joint effusion as a potential marker of knee osteoarthritis progression.
Keywords: Knee osteoarthritis; Joint effusion; Magnetic resonance imaging; Knee OA grading; Synovial inflammation
Citation: Alrowaili MG. Prevalence of MRI-detected knee Joint effusion in patients with knee osteoarthritis: Insights from Saudi Arabian cohort. Anaesth. pain intensive care 2025;29(4):378-83. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v29i4.2825
Received: April 29, 2025; Revised: May 08, 2025; Accepted: May 10, 2025