Prospective 5-year MRI analysis of femorotibial cartilage thickness in 121 young adults from the KANON trial, examining how cartilage changes — both regionally and over time — in the years following acute ACL rupture.
When counseling a young patient after ACL rupture, recognize that the first two years represent the period of greatest cartilage instability — simultaneous localized thinning and thickening are occurring — even as aggregate cartilage thickness increases; this window may be the highest-yield target for any future disease-modifying intervention.
Younger patients show the most active cartilage remodeling response, which is important context when interpreting serial MRI findings post-injury.
Prospective 5-year MRI analysis of femorotibial cartilage thickness in 121 young adults from the KANON trial, examining how cartilage changes — both regionally and over time — in the years following acute ACL rupture.
When counseling a young patient after ACL rupture, recognize that the first two years represent the period of greatest cartilage instability — simultaneous localized thinning and thickening are occurring — even as aggregate cartilage thickness increases; this window may be the highest-yield target for any future disease-modifying intervention.
Younger patients show the most active cartilage remodeling response, which is important context when interpreting serial MRI findings post-injury.