Ultrasonographic evaluation of the femoral cartilage thickness in patients with hypothyroidism

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

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.

Exploration beyond osteoarthritis: the association and mechanism of its related comorbidities

Osteoarthritis is the most prevalent age-related degenerative joint disease and a leading cause of pain and disability in aged people. Its etiology is multifaceted, involving factors such as biomechanics, pro-inflammatory mediators, genetics, and metabolism. Beyond its evident impact on joint functionality and the erosion of patients' quality of life, OA exhibits symbiotic relationships with various systemic diseases, giving rise to various complications. This review reveals OA's extensive impact, encompassing osteoporosis, sarcopenia, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes mellitus, neurological disorders, mental health, and even cancer. Shared inflammatory processes, genetic factors, and lifestyle elements link OA to these systemic conditions. Consequently, recognizing these connections and addressing them offers opportunities to enhance patient care and reduce the burden of associated diseases, emphasizing the need for a holistic approach to managing OA and its complications.

Revisiting femoral cartilage thickness in cases with Hashimoto's thyroiditis in thyroidology: a single institute experience

OBJECTIVE

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, also known as chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis or autoimmune thyroiditis, is a considerable part of the spectrum of chronic autoimmune thyroid gland disorders which is pathologically associated with various degrees of lymphocytic infiltration. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate whether cartilage thickness is affected in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis or not in thyroidology.

METHODS

A total of 61 individuals had been evaluated in this case-control study, including 32 euthyroid Hashimoto's thyroiditis patients and 29 healthy subjects comparable in age, sex, and body mass index. The patients with a history of knee trauma or knee surgery, an additional systemic disease such as diabetes mellitus, or an inflammatory disease like rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and scleroderma had not been included in the study. The thickness of the femoral articular cartilage was measured using B-mode ultrasonography, and the right lateral condyle, right intercondylar area, right medial condyle, left medial condyle, left intercondylar area, and left lateral condyle were also measured.

RESULTS

No statistically significant difference between patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis diagnosis and healthy controls in terms of age, age groups, gender, and body mass index (p>0.05).

CONCLUSION

As a consequence, no obvious connection between autoimmune markers and cartilage thickness in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis was recognized. Although the diverse manifestation of Hashimoto's thyroiditis could be observed, it seems to be no liaison between thyroid autoimmunity and cartilage thickness.

Association between sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices and the risk of osteoarthritis: an NHANES study

Objectives

Thyroid hormones play an instrumental role in chondrogenic differentiation and matrix maturation. However, studies investigating the relationship between thyroid function and the risk of osteoarthritis (OA) remain scarce. This study was designed to investigate the correlation between thyroid status and OA from a novel perspective of sensitivity to thyroid hormones.

Methods

The study included 8478 people from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2007–2010. The sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices included Thyrotroph Thyroxine Resistance Index (TT4RI), Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSHI), Thyroid Feedback Quantile-based Index (TFQI), and Free Triiodothyronine /Free thyroxine (FT3/FT4), which were calculated based on serum free triiodothyronine (FT3), free thyroxine (FT4), and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). Considering the complex survey design and sample weights, we employed multivariate linear regression models and stratified analysis to evaluate the correlation between sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices and OA.

Results

Study results indicated that participants with OA had elevated TT4RI, TSHI, and TFQI levels, and lower FT3/FT4 levels compared to those with non-arthritis. After adjusting for other covariates, FT3/FT4 was negatively associated with the risk of OA (OR = 1.162, 95%CI 1.048–1.478, P = 0.021); (OR = 1.261, 95%CI 1.078–1.623, P = 0.042). In subgroup analyses stratified by gender and BMI, participants with OA had higher TFQI levels compared to those without OA in both genders. (OR = 1.491, 95%CI 1.070–2.077, P = 0.018); (OR = 2.548, 95%CI 1.929–3.365, P < 0.001). The higher TFQI levels were consistently associated with the increased prevalence of OA in the BMI (< 18.5 kg/m²) group after adjusting for different covariates, but not in other BMI groups. In, addition, TFQI performed better than FT3/FT4, TSHI, and TT4RI on ROC analyses for OA prediction.

Conclusions

The levels of FT3/FT4, TSHI, TT4RI, and TFQI are strongly associated with the prevalence of OA, which illustrates the complex correlation between the thyroid system and chondrogenic differentiation. TFQI may be used as a helpful indicator to predict OA and provide novel ideas for the evaluation and treatment of OA.

Quantifying Region-Specific Elastic Properties of Distal Femoral Articular Cartilage: A Shear-Wave Elastography Study

Knee osteoarthritis is a disease with the degeneration of articular cartilage as its main feature. Cartilage thickness cannot become a single index to evaluate cartilage degeneration, so it is essential to also evaluate the stiffness. The purposes were as follows: (1) to examine test-retest reliabilities of the elastic modulus measurement in distal femoral articular cartilage (FAC) and compare the changes in specific-regional of distal FAC, (2) to explore the difference in distal FAC stiffness and thickness between the dominant and nondominant sides, and (3) to examine the correlation between the elastic properties of cartilage and the thickness of cartilage. Twenty healthy participants were recruited. The stiffness of distal FAC at the lateral femoral condyle (LFC), medial femoral condyle (MFC), and intercondylar notch (IN) was quantified using shear-wave elastography (SWE). Intra- and interrater reliabilities were excellent for measuring the stiffness of distal FAC (ICC: 0.83-0.98). About a 50% increase in the stiffness of LFC (40.78 kPa) was found when compared with IN (21.82 kPa) and MFC (18.34 kPa). No significant difference was found between the dominant and nondominant sides in distal FAC stiffness and thickness. There was no correlation between the stiffness and thickness of the distal FAC. In conclusion, SWE can quantify the stiffness of the distal FAC.