SONOGRAPHIC ASSESMENT OF FEMORAL CARTILAGE THICKNESS IN ADULTS WITH PAIN AND WITHOUT PAIN

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Femoral cartilage plays a vital role in knee joint function, providing smooth articulation and load distribution. Degeneration or thinning of this cartilage is commonly associated with knee pain and joint disorders. Early detection of cartilage changes is crucial for diagnosis and management. Ultrasonography has emerged as a non-invasive, accessible, and reliable imaging method for evaluating femoral cartilage thickness. OBJECTIVE: To measure the femoral cartilage thickness in adults with pain or without pain by sonography. METHODOLOGY: This study was a case-control design conducted at CMA Hospital, Superior University, Lahore, to assess femoral cartilage thickness using musculoskeletal ultrasound in individuals with and without knee pain. A total of 70 participants were selected through convenient sampling, based on inclusion criteria for adults aged 15 to 35 years, with or without knee pain, and those with local knee inflammation. Ultrasound imaging was performed using a Toshiba Xario machine with a 7–15 MHz linear probe. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25. RESULTS: This study evaluated the reliability of ultrasound-based measurements of Femoral Cartilage Thickness in 70 individuals, both with and without knee pain. Measurements were taken at three regions: the Medial Condyle (MC), Intercondylar Region (IC), and Lateral Condyle (LC). The reliability analysis showed Cronbach's Alpha values ranging from 0.734 to 0.867, indicating acceptable to good internal consistency. Inter-item correlation coefficients, such as 0.725 between cartilage thickness in the intercondylar ligament without pain and with pain, and 0.765 between cartilage thickness in the intercondylar region without pain and with pain, reflected moderate to strong positive relationships. These findings confirmed that ultrasound is a consistent and reliable tool for assessing femoral cartilage thickness across different knee regions in both painful and non-painful knees. CONCLUSION: The study concluded that individuals with knee pain had significantly reduced femoral cartilage thickness compared to those without pain, as measured by musculoskeletal ultrasonography. This suggests that ultrasound is an effective, non-invasive tool for evaluating structural changes in the knee joint, and it may assist in the early detection and management of joint pathologies.