Abstract：Objective To investigate the correlations between the slope of the upper tibiofibular joint and the incidence of primary knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and Kellgren-Lawrence (K/L) grade.Methods The clinical data of 180 patients with KOA in our hospital from January 2016 to June 2017 were selected as the KOA group. This retrospective review included 50 males and 130 females with an average age of 66.3±8.36 years (from 60 to 75 years old). Their BMI was ( 25.3±3.96)kg/m2. One hundred and eighty cases of non knee osteoarthritis (CT of knee joint for normal physical examination in our hospital) were selected as the no-KOA group including 52 males and 128 females with age of 60-75 (65.8±7.96) years, and their BMI is (24.6±4.06) kg/m2. There were no significant differences in gender, age and BMI between the two groups (all P values＞0.05). The KOA patients were graded by imaging K/L classification. The slopes of the upper tibiofibular joint surface of the two groups were measured on the CT 3D reconstruction image of the knee, and were analyzed by SPSS 21.0 statistical software.Results In KOA group, there were 62 cases of K/L Ⅱgrade and 60 cases of K/L Ⅲ grade and 68 cases of K/L Ⅳ grade respectively. The slopes of the tibiofibular joint surface in KOA group was 35.18°±7.36° in males and 29.39°±8.37° in females respectively, while in non KOA group it was 30.18°±9.63° in males and 30.97°±10.89° in females respectively. There were significant difference between the two groups in males and in females (all P values＜0.05). There were no significant differences in gender between the two groups (all P values＞0.05). The correlation coefficient of Spearman regression between the gradient of the tibiofibular joint surface and the K/L grade was rs=0.166(P＜0.05).Conclusionse The upper slope of the tibiofibular joint is a high-risk factor for KOA, and which is associated with the severity of KOA.
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2018, Vol. 23 
