The most reliable and convenient measurement method of tibial posterior slope(TPS) and its biomechanical relationship with posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) are still controversial. For X-ray measurement, it is recommended to use full-length lateral X-ray of the lower extremity in quatrous section, which has advantage of highly repeatable and common in the daily diagnosis and treatment process, but it is only applicable to patients with tibial rotation within 15°. When the rotation exceeds 30°, it is difficult to identify the inner contour of platform and is no applicable. If it is only used for daily diagnosis and treatment evaluation, when tibial rotation angle is less than 15°, lateral knee X-ray also has a certain reference significance, but the accuracy could not meet requirements of higher clinical research. For CT measurement method, it could correct tibial rotation, but using the fitting point to measure tibial posterior slope on three-dimensional CT reconstruction is only applicable to knee joint without degeneration, more osteophyte affects the way of using fitting point to determine the plane of tibia with real tibia platform conformity degree, have some limitations. For measurement of MRI, it could not only correct tibial rotation, but also minimize the effect of osteophytes by using tibial anatomical axis as the reference axis, which is a good measurement method. For the biomechanical relationship between tibial posterior slope and tibial posterior slope, increased tibial posterior slope indirectly alleviates tension of PCL through tibial anterior displacement or directly reduces load on posterior cruciate ligament in tibial osteotomies, suggesting a protective mechanism for tibial posterior slope;in total knee arthroplasty with cruciate ligament preserved, the size of tibial posterior slope will affect roll back mechanism of femur. When affected knee with PCL injury, it should be avoid to release then aggravate injury, and the stress could be alleviated by increasing tibial posterior slope appropriately. There has been no unified conclusion on the range of tibial posterior slope that is most beneficial to PCL. The natural tibial posterior slope is between 7 ° and 10°, which is considered to be the most beneficial to protection of PCL, but further studies are needed according to the differences in patients' bone status, surgical methods and so on.
Arthroplasty, Replacement, Knee/methods* ; Femur/surgery* ; Humans ; Knee Joint/surgery* ; Osteophyte/surgery* ; Posterior Cruciate Ligament/surgery* ; Tibia/surgery*

Osteoarthritis is a chronic degenerative articular disorder. Formation of bone spurs, synovial inflammation, loss of cartilage, and underlying bone restructuring have been reported to be the main pathologic characteristics of osteoarthritis symptoms. The onset and progression of osteoarthritis are attributed to various inflammatory cytokines in joint tissues and fluids that are produced by chondrocytes and/or interact with chondrocytes, as well as to low-grade inflammation in intra-articular tissues. Disruption of the equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of the cartilage of the joint is the major cause of osteoarthritis. Hence, developing a promising pharmacological tool to restore the equilibrium between the synthesis and degradation of osteoarthritic joint cartilage can be a useful strategy for effectively managing osteoarthritis. In this review, we provide an overview of the research results pertaining to the search for a novel candidate agent for osteoarthritis management via restoration of the equilibrium between cartilage synthesis and degradation. We especially focused on investigations of medicinal plants and natural products derived from them to shed light on the potential pharmacotherapy of osteoarthritis.
Biological Products ; Cartilage ; Chondrocytes ; Cytokines ; Drug Therapy ; Inflammation ; Joints ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteophyte ; Plants, Medicinal

Animal models of osteoarthritis (OA) have played a key role in understanding the etiology of OA and in the development of new therapeutic strategies. Although pigs have an advantage as an animal disease model due to their similarity to humans, there are few studies on the induction of OA in minipigs. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize disease progression of OA in total medial meniscectomy (TMM)-operated skeletally mature minipigs, up to day 180 postoperatively. There were no significant alterations in vital signs or hematological indices throughout the observation period. However, clinical manifestations of OA in the medial femoral condyles of TMM-operated minipigs were progressive, depending on postoperative duration, with respect to osteophytes formation and roughened surfaces on radiological observation, cartilage erosion under macroscopic examination, and severe cartilage defects including fibrillation, vertical fissures, and cartilage denuding on histopathological observation, with the highest score indicating late-stage OA on day 180 and without indicating apparent variation between subjects. In particular, the lateral femoral condyles were also degenerated, possibly due to localization of weight-bearing from both menisci to the lateral meniscus. Therefore, TMM in minipigs is suitable for reproducible induction of degenerative changes in the femorotibial joints that closely resemble late-stage OA, and is suitable for use in further research.
Cartilage ; Disease Models, Animal ; Disease Progression ; Humans ; Joints ; Menisci, Tibial ; Models, Animal ; Osteoarthritis ; Osteophyte ; Swine ; Swine, Miniature ; Vital Signs ; Weight-Bearing

Age estimation from skeletal remains is an important step in forensic biological identification. The main objective of this study is to develop an age estimation equation for the Thai population from vertebral osteophytes. Each vertebra in the cervical, thoracic and lumbar segments was scored for degree of osteophyte formation. Classification was carried out in accordance with the criteria established by Snodgrass and Watanabe, and used a new modified score of the length of vertebral osteophyte for age estimation. The sample included 400 individuals (262 males, 138 females) ranging in age from 22 to 97 years. A sample of Thai vertebral columns was used, the columns being divided into the following groups of vertebrae: cervical (C2–C7), thoracic (T1–T12), and lumbar (L1–L5). Each vertebra was scored for the degree of osteophyte formation and the accumulated data was analyzed statistically. Correlation coefficients and R-squared from mean in lumbar vertebrae for females of criteria established by the method of Snodgrass and Watanabe, the new modified score by length of vertebral osteophytes were 0.801 and 0.642 (P<0.01); 0.755 and 0.57 (P<0.01); 0.786 and 0.618 (P<0.01), respectively. This study presents all 23 subcategories (C2–L5) of the vertebrae to apply in real situations, showing all age estimation equations for males, females and combined sexes of unknown sex. One application of this study is age estimation when dealing with forensic cases in the Thai population.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group ; Classification ; Female ; Forensic Anthropology ; Forensic Sciences ; Humans ; Lumbar Vertebrae ; Male ; Methods ; Osteophyte ; Research Design ; Spine ; Thailand

Spinal stenosis most commonly occurs on lumbar vertebrae because of degenerative changes. This research studied the characteristics of osteophyte development in lumbar vertebrae foramina and association of osteophyte development with lumbar spinal stenosis. The total number of all levels of lumbar spines of subjects was 179 from 31 to 90 years of age. The vertebral foramen was divided into six zones. The prevalence and measurements of the length of osteophytes in the vertebral foramina were obtained. The prevalence and length of osteophytes in the posterior body zone were higher than the laminal zone, and higher than the pedicular zone, respectively. In each zone, the highest prevalence of osteophytes was at L5, except for the inferior posterior body zone that the highest prevalence is at L4. The length of osteophyte was also in same direction as the prevalence. The prevalence of osteophytes among six zones of each level were compared, and found, in L1 to L4, the inferior posterior body zone generally had the highest prevalence, except in L5, the superior posterior body zone had the highest prevalence. Moreover, prevalence, as well as length, of osteophytes in lumbar vertebral foramina, of all levels, was positively associated with age. Vertebral osteophytes can develop beginning at 31 years of age. In conclusion, posterior body of L4 and L5 had the highest prevalence of osteophyte formation, thus, these area had the highest probability to cause spinal stenosis.
Lumbar Vertebrae ; Osteophyte ; Prevalence ; Spinal Stenosis ; Spine

BACKGROUND: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between location of the rotator cuff tear and shape of the subacromial spur. METHODS: Totally, 80 consecutive patients who underwent arthroscopic repair for partial thickness rotator cuff tear were enrolled for the study. Bigliani's type of the acromion, type of subacromial spur, and location of partial thickness tear of the rotator cuff were evaluated using plain X-ray and magnetic resonance imaging. We then compared the groups of no spur with spur, and heel with traction spur. RESULTS: Of the 80 cases, 25 cases comprised the no spur group, and 55 cases comprised the spur group. There was a significant difference in type of tear (p=0.0004) between these two groups. Bursal side tears were significantly greater (odds ratio=6.000, p=0.0007) in the spur group. Subjects belonging to the spur group were further divided into heel (38 cases) and traction spur (17 cases). Comparing these two groups revealed significant differences only in the type of tear (p=0.0001). Furthermore, the heel spur had significantly greater bursal side tear (odds ratio=29.521, p=0.0005) as compared to traction spur. CONCLUSIONS: The heel spur is more associated to bursal side tear than the traction spur, whereas the traction spur associates greater to the articular side tear.
Acromion ; Heel ; Heel Spur ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Osteophyte ; Rotator Cuff ; Tears ; Traction

STUDY DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. OBJECTIVES: To provide reference data for the study and treatment of thoracic scoliosis. SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: There have been no reports on the prevalence of thoracic scoliosis in Korea. MATERIALS AND METHODS: From August 2011 to October 2012, radiographs of patients under 80 years of age who underwent routine chest radiographs were retrospectively reviewed. Based on their age when the chest radiographs were obtained, the patients were divided into 8 groups. The prevalence and angle of the curve of thoracic scoliosis were investigated in each age group, and the prevalence of thoracic scoliosis according to sex, the direction of the curve, number of vertebrae in the major curve, the location and rotation of the apical vertebrae, and osteophyte location were examined. RESULTS: The prevalence of thoracic scoliosis was 2.4% (621 patients), and female patients (3.0%, 375 of 12471) showed a higher prevalence than male patients (1.8%, 246 of 13654) (p<0.001). Right curvature was present in 445 patients and left curvature in 176 patients. In each age group, the prevalence and degree of thoracic scoliosis were 1.1% (14.2°±3.2°), 2.3% (17.4°±7.7°), 2.5% (17.0°±8.9°), 1.9% (15.8°±5.9°), 1.3% (15.5°±6.6°), 2.1% (18.0°±13.6°), 2.9% (14.3°±3.6°), and 6.1% (16.2°±4.8°), respectively. The mean curvature in all scoliosis patients was 16.0°±7.0°. The angle of the curve was significantly different by sex (15.4°±7.1° for males, 16.8°±7.6° for females). The average curve angle of patients with thoracic scoliosis was 16.0°±7.0°, among whom it was 10°–20° in 533 patients, 20°–30° in 64, 30°–40° in 11, and over 40° in 13. CONCLUSIONS: This study could be used as a reference point for the study and treatment of thoracic scoliosis.
Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Osteophyte ; Prevalence ; Radiography ; Radiography, Thoracic ; Retrospective Studies ; Scoliosis ; Spine ; Thoracic Vertebrae ; Thorax

An anterior cervical osteophyte is one of the causes of dysphagia. Surgical treatment is one of the treatment options available, and previous studies have suggested that it is an immediate and effective treatment. This paper reports a case of temporarily aggravated dysphagia after surgical treatment in a patient with anterior cervical osteophyte. A 75-year-old male complained of dysphagia for one year. A videofluoroscopic swallowing study (VFSS) revealed anterior cervical osteophytes at the C3 and C4 level, which resulted in decreased epiglottic folding and partial obstruction of the bolus passage. After he underwent osteophytectomy and anterior fixation, the post-operative VFSS showed an aggravation of dysphagia with prevertebral soft tissue edema. The major cause of dysphagia was attributed to the limitation of movement of the posterior pharyngeal wall and upper esophageal sphincter due to the increased prevertebral soft tissue thickness. In conclusion, surgery should be considered when a severe dysphagia is persistent after adequate conservative treatment in patients with dysphagia due to anterior cervical osteophytes, and patients at high risk of postoperative dysphagia might require swallowing rehabilitation.
Aged ; Cervical Vertebrae ; Deglutition ; Deglutition Disorders ; Edema ; Esophageal Sphincter, Upper ; Female ; Fluoroscopy ; Humans ; Male ; Osteophyte ; Rehabilitation

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study.OBJECTIVES: To compare the degeneration of sacroiliac joint (SIJ) following lumbar or lumbosacral fusion.SUMMARY OF LITERATURE REVIEW: The SIJ is adjacent to lumbosacral junction and its degeneration can be the potential cause of pain. However, the study addressing SIJ degeneration following lumbar or lumbosacral fusion is very limited.MATERIALS AND METHODS: From June 2002 to June 2012, 98 patients who underwent posterior decompression and posterolateral fusion were included in this study. The study group was divided into 2 groups according to the range of fusion. Group A had fusion to L5 and included 34 patients. Group B had fusion to S1 and included 64 patients. We evaluated the five years postoperative radiologic and clinical outcomes retrospectively.RESULTS: There was no statistically significant difference of bilateral preoperative subchondral sclerosis and osteophytes of the SIJ between group A and group B. However, group B revealed statistically significant subchondral sclerosis and osteophyte formation of the SIJ than group A on every radiographs after postoperative 1 year. In group B, the number of fusion segments and age were statistically positively correlated with the degeneration of the SIJ.CONCLUSIONS: Degeneration of the SIJ revealed more rapid and more severe progression in lumbosacral fusion group than in lumbar fusion group. The number of fusion segments and age were positively correlated with the degeneration of the SIJ in lumbosacral fusion group. Therefore, these facts should be taken into account when performing spinal fusion.
Decompression ; Humans ; Osteophyte ; Retrospective Studies ; Sacroiliac Joint ; Sclerosis ; Spinal Fusion

Most capitate fractures occur in association with additional carpal injuries, particularly scaphoid fractures. Isolated fractures of the capitate account for only 0.3% of carpal injuries, and stress fractures are one form of this fracture. We report the case of a 20-year-old male who had a stress fracture of the capitate after serving as an honor guard in the military. Conventional radiographs and computed tomography of the right wrist revealed a minimally displaced fracture line located at the midcarpal aspect of the right capitate. A magnetic resonance imaging scan demonstrates a subarticular capitate fracture with diffuse bone marrow edema, small osteophytes, and irregularity of the midcarpal articular cartilage. We also review the carpal kinematics which possibly caused the stress fracture. Although stress fractures of the capitate are rare, they should also be accounted for with patients who perform repetitive motions of the wrist to a considerable extent.
Biomechanical Phenomena ; Bone Marrow ; Capitate Bone ; Carpal Bones ; Cartilage, Articular ; Edema ; Fractures, Stress ; Humans ; Magnetic Resonance Imaging ; Male ; Military Personnel ; Multidetector Computed Tomography ; Osteophyte ; Wrist ; Young Adult