Osteoarthritic bone marrow lesions almost exclusively colocate with denuded cartilage: a 3D study using data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative.

Objectives: The aetiology of bone marrow lesions (BMLs) in knee osteoarthritis (OA) is poorly understood. We employed three-dimensional (3D) active appearance modelling (AAM) to study the spatial distribution of BMLs in an OA cohort and compare this with the distribution of denuded cartilage.

Methods: Participants were selected from the Osteoarthritis Initiative progressor cohort with Kellgren-Lawrence scores ≥2, medial joint space narrowing and osteophytes.