Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis, affecting millions worldwide. However, getting a comprehensive picture of the disease still escapes modern medicine.

Osteoarthritis’s causes, effects and severity are often missed with just an X-Ray or MRI. Today, CurveBeam Connect dives into the breaking research on Osteoarthritis imaging with guests Dr. Niel Segal and Dr. Tom Turmezei, founding members of the CT in Osteoarthritis Research group (OCTA).

Standard Osteoarthritis (OA) imaging in Europe and the USA involves radiography and sometimes an MRI. But Dr. Segal said X-rays are almost useless, with up to 80% of OA missed on radiograph images—”...by the time you see it," he said, "it’s too late to do anything about it.”

However, weight-bearing CT scans (WBCT) are useful in catching Osteoarthritis early. As Dr. Segal puts it, X-rays are the flip-phones of imaging, while CT scans are the smartphones offering a comprehensive and multi-faceted look at not just the bone, but the whole joint.

The goal of the OCTA is to explore the full capabilities of CT scans in context with OA and provide a network of doctors and data that can further OA research.

Dr. Segal explained how weight-bearing CT scans can detect things like cysts, meniscal extrusions, bone shape and space between the joint, features that radiography would have otherwise missed.

The implications of this knowledge are far-reaching, allowing for speedier research trials and the forecast of hip or knee replacements with accuracy.

To learn more about OCTA research and how to get involved, email [email protected].