A 2 yr longitudinal radiographic study examining the effect of a bisphosphonate (risedronate) upon subchondral bone loss in osteoarthritic knee patients

Objectives. To determine whether risedronate (RIS) slows down trabecular bone loss in the medial compartment of the proximal tibia, a characteristic of patients with progressive knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods. Initially, 100 patients were randomly selected from each treatment group (each N similar to 300) comprising placebo and RIS 5 mg/day, 15 mg/day and 50 mg/week from a double blind, multi-centre, placebo-controlled, 2 yr investigation of OA knee patients in North America. Using fluoroscopic semi-flexed standard radiography, baseline and exit knee radiographs were digitized by laser scanner. Following computerized measurement of minimum medial compartment joint space width, each group was subdivided into joint space narrowing (JSN) non-progressor or JSN-progressor (JSN >= 0.6mm measured at any point post-baseline). Computerized method of fractal signature analysis (FSA) quantified longitudinal changes separately in horizontal and vertical trabeculae in region of interest (three-fourth width of tibial compartment x 6mm height) in the medial compartment. Following the initial study, all JSN-progressor knees within the entire patient cohort (N=1232) were similarly analysed. Results. OA knees in JSN non-progressor group had a slight decrease in FSA for vertical and horizontal trabeculae and showed no drug effect. In JSN-progressor knees, bone loss was greater in both placebo and RIS 5 mg/day groups compared with those in RIS 15 mg/day group in which trabeculae were retained, and in the RIS 50 mg/week group in which the vertical trabecular number increased significantly (P < 0.05). Conclusion. This preliminary study showed that patients with marked cartilage loss (JSN >= 0.6 mm) receiving RIS 15 mg/day retained vertical trabecular structure, and those receiving RIS 50 mg/week increased vertical trabecular number, thereby preserving the structural integrity of subchondral bone in knee OA.