| Objective To investigate the correlation between bone mineral density (BMD) of subchondral bone of the tibia and knee osteoarthritis (KOA) in postmenopausal women. Methods Eighty postmenopausal woman with KOA who attended the First Affiliated Hospital of Xinjiang Medical University from July 2017 to October 2017 were selected. They were 45-92 (65.17±10.92) years old. They were divided into A, B, C, and D group, according to the Kellgren & Lawrence standard grades Ⅰ, Ⅱ, Ⅲ, and Ⅳ of KOA. The regions of interest(ROI) were in the medial and lateral compartments of the tibial subchondral bone. BMD of each ROI was measured using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. At the same time, BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck was measured. Results In the 80 KOA patients, mean BMD of ROI 1 was 0.656±0.245 g/cm2, mean BMD of ROI 2was 0.459±0.197 g/cm2, mean BMD of the lumber spine was 0.762±0.154 g/cm2, and mean BMD of the femoral neck was 0.751±0.139 g/cm2. Comparing among BMD of ROI 1, ROI 2, femoral neck and lumber spine and degree of KOA, there was statistically difference among BMD of ROI 1, ROI 2, and femoral neck in the four groups (P<0.05), but there was no statistically difference in BMD of the lumber spine (P>0.05). BMD of subchondral bone of the tibia was negatively correlated with degree of KOA and age, but was positively correlated with BMD of the lumbar spine and femoral neck. Conclusion With the development of KOA, endplate sclerosis occurs in subchondral cortex of the tibia, and BMD of cancellous bone decreases. |