Can we have an overall osteoarthritis severity score for the patellofemoral joint using magnetic resonance imaging? Reliability and validity

This work aimed to assess inter-rater reliability and agreement of a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)-based Kellgren and Lawrence (K&L) grading for patellofemoral joint osteoarthritis (OA) and to validate it against the MRI Osteoarthritis Knee Score (MOAKS). MRI scans from people aged 45 to 75 years with chronic knee pain participating in a randomised clinical trial evaluating dietary supplements were utilised. Fifty participants were randomly selected and scored using the MRI-based K&L grading using axial and sagittal MRI scans. Raters conducted inter-rater reliability, blinded to clinical information, radiology reports and other rater results. Intra- and inter-rater reliability and agreement were evaluated using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Cohen’s weighted kappa. There was a 2-week interval between the first and second readings for intra-rater reliability. Validity was assessed using the MOAKS and evaluated using Spearman’s correlation coefficient. Intra-rater reliability of the K&L system was excellent: ICC 0.91 (95% CI 0.82–0.95); weighted kappa (ĸ = 0.69). Inter-rater reliability was high (ICC 0.88; 95% CI 0.79–0.93), while agreement between raters was moderate (ĸ = 0.49–0.57). Validity analysis demonstrated a strong correlation between the total MOAKS features score and the K&L grading system (ρ = 0.62–0.67) but weak correlations when compared with individual MOAKS features (ρ = 0.19–0.61). The high reliability and good agreement show consistency in grading the severity of patellofemoral OA with the MRI-based K&L score. Our validity results suggest that the scale may be useful, particularly in the clinical environment. Future research should validate this method against clinical findings.