Objective:

In clinical practice, patients with discrepancy of radiological findings and symptom severity are frequent. Aim of this study was to investigate the possible discrepancy of magnetic resonance imaging findings, and symptom severity and functional status of patients with knee osteoarthritis.

Material and Methods:

40 patients were included in the study. Patients were selected by searching the archives of the 2015, and by excluding the patients who didn’t meet the criteria for our study. Patients without the diagnosis of knee osteoarthritis, who didn’t have written consents for using their clinical data, who didn’t have knee magnetic resonance images, who didn’t fill WOMAC and SF-36 questionnaires, and who didn’t have visual analog scale result for pain, were excluded. For evaluating WORMS, images are scored for 14 independent articular features. Correlations among the variables were analyzed.

Results:

Mean age of the study group was 57.35±5.88 years, and mean BMI was 28.68±3.54. There was no difference between males and females according to mean age, and mean BMI (p>0.05). According to the other variables there was no difference between males and females, except the total and subscale scores of WORMS. Total and subscale scores of WORMS were significantly higher in females than males (p<0.05). When the correlations among the variables were analyzed there was significant and positive correlation between age, and BMI and total scores of WORMS (p<0.05). There was no significant correlation between the parameters showing the symptom severity, and WORMS (p>0.05).

Conclusion:

Discrepancy of magnetic resonance imaging findings, and symptom severity and functional status is more frequent than the expected. Some factors like thigh muscle strength of the patients, or mental and the physical status, and pain threshold may affect the level of impairment of health or the aspect of the patient to the health, individually which may lead to discrepancy of radiological findings and symptom severity.

Keywords: functional status, knee osteoarthritis, magnetic resonance imaging, symptom severity