Which radiographic finding is typical of osteoarthritis?

• A. Subchondral bone sclerosis with medial joint space narrowing
• B. Diffuse joint space narrowing with pannus formation
• C. Calcific deposits in soft tissues around the joint
• D. Joint space widening with periarticular osteopenia

Answer: (A)

Osteoarthritis commonly shows changes from cartilage loss that lead to narrowing of the joint space, paired with the bone’s response of increased density under the cartilage (subchondral sclerosis). In the knee, this process often affects the medial compartment more than the lateral, producing asymmetric joint space narrowing with subchondral sclerosis. This combination—subchondral sclerosis with medial joint space narrowing—is the radiographic pattern most typical of OA.

Other descriptions reflect different processes: diffuse joint space narrowing with pannus formation suggests inflammatory arthritis like rheumatoid arthritis; calcific deposits around the joint point to calcific tendinopathy or CPPD deposition; joint space widening with periarticular osteopenia is not characteristic of OA and aligns more with inflammatory or osteolytic processes.