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David T. Felson talks with
ScienceWatch.com and answers a few questions about this month's
Emerging Research Front Paper in the field of Clinical
Medicine.
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Article: Bone marrow edema and its relation to
progression of knee osteoarthritis
Authors: Felson, DT;McLaughlin, S;Goggins,
J;LaValley, MP;Gale, E;Totterman, S;Li, W;Hill, C;Gale, D
Journal: ANN INTERN MED, 139 (5): 330-336 Part 1 SEP 2
2003
Addresses: Boston Univ, Sch Med, 715 Albany St,A203, Boston, MA
02118 USA.
Boston Univ, Sch Med, Boston, MA 02118 USA.
Vet Affairs Boston Hlth Care Syst, Boston, MA USA.
Univ Rochester, Rochester, NY USA.
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Why do you think your paper is highly
cited?
The paper is highly cited because it found, for the first time, two related
things:
1: that bone marrow lesions, a common feature of knee osteoarthritis on
MRI, identified knees at high risk of progression, and that 2: these
lesions were surrogates for malalignment across the knee.
Does it describe a new discovery, methodology, or
synthesis of knowledge?
This helped identify a major new feature to help us better understand the
pathophysiology and possibly the treatment of osteoarthritis.
Would you summarize the significance of your paper in
layman's terms?
The subject was whether bone marrow lesions, as seen on MRI in persons with
knee osteoarthritis, predispose to disease progression. Bone marrow edema
is a potent risk factor for structural deterioration in knee
osteoarthritis, and its relation to progression is explained in part by its
association with limb alignment.
David T. Felson, M.D., M.P.H.
Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology Chief, Clinical Epidemiology
Unit
Boston University School of Medicine
Boston, MA, USA
KEYWORDS: JOINT SPACE WIDTH; RADIOGRAPHIC FEATURES;
CLINICAL-TRIAL; MODIFYING DRUG; SCINTIGRAPHY; ALIGNMENT; PAIN.
