MORPHOLOGY OF KNEE JOINT DISEASES WITH BAKER’S CYST

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), osteoarthritis (OA), and psoriatic arthritis (PsA) are the inflammatory knee diseases that cause excessive production of synovial fluid in the knee joint which is already present in there and makes up a part of synovial joint. The excessive production is due to inflammatory changes caused by disease, which can later lead to formation of the Baker’s Cyst. Pain and swelling are clinical signs. Followed by thrombophlebitis and gangrene formation if the cyst is left untreated and it bursts inside the calf muscles region due to lack of proper treatment. Nerve entrapment of surrounding nerves of knee joint is one leading cause of pain and discomfort which can cause disability in walking and difficulty in performing daily tasks. The purpose of this study was to determine the morphological changes and factors affecting Baker’s Cyst in patients of RA, OA, and PsA. Sixty-six participants were arranged in 2 groups. Group-A consisted of cases; Group-B consisted of control group (with no Baker’s Cyst). A case-control observational study was conducted in the radiology ward in public hospital of Karachi for a period of six months. History and a well-informed consent from each participant followed by a thorough examination of knee joint was conducted. A detailed ultrasound examination was performed on all the participants. Data was assembled on a predefined proforma which was compared with control subjects based on age of patients, age of disease, for pain measurement WOMAC (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Arthritis Index) score, osteophytes, calcification, partition in cyst, length breath and area of the cyst, gender, diseases knee, state of rupture and presence of rheumatoid arthritis factor. The result was extracted by using SPSS version 23.0. There will be recommendations related to the effects of Baker’s cyst in the patients of RA, OA, and PsA on knee joint diseases regarding the policy changes that needed to consider in the revolutionary world of rheumatology.