Bone marrow lesions predict site-specific cartilage defect development and volume loss: a prospective study in older adults.

Introduction: Recent evidence suggests that bone marrow lesions (BMLs) play a pivotal role in knee osteoarthritis (OA). The aims of this study were to determine: 1) whether baseline BML presence and/or severity predict site-specific cartilage defect progression and cartilage volume loss; and 2) whether baseline cartilage defects predict site-specific BML progression.

Methods: A total of 405 subjects (mean age 63 years, range 52 to 79) were measured at baseline and approximately 2.