Study on radiographic grading of ankle joint in adult patients with Kashin Beck disease in Shaanxi and Gansu Province, China

Abstract Purpose This paper aims to establish an X-ray imaging grading for assessing ankle joints in adult Kashin Beck disease (KBD), and investigate its correlation with clinical grading of hand and ankle pain. Methods The study involved 160 adult KBD patients (a total of 320 ankles) as the case group and 100 matched healthy subjects (a total of 200 ankles) as the control group. Digital Radiographs of bilateral ankle joints were obtained, and the talus trochlea angle was measured according to the radiographs. The X-ray grading of adult KBD ankles was conducted using the Kellgren Lawrence grading as a reference. Correlation analysis was performed to study the relationship between X-ray grading and clinical grading of hand. Result The X-ray imaging of KBD ankle joints was categorized into grade 0-IV, with grade IV further divided into subtypes a, b, c, and d. There was no correlation between ankle X-ray grading and the clinical grading of the hands in patients with KBD (r = 0.208, p = 0.001). There was a significant correlation between X-ray grading and ankle pain (r = 0.610, p = 0.000), but no correlation between ankle pain and the clinical grading of hand (r = 0.101, p = 0.071). Conclusion This study introduced an X-ray grading method for KBD ankles, although it showed no correlation with the clinical grading of the hands. Importantly, a moderate correlation was identified between X-ray grading and ankle pain, but no significant link was established between ankle pain and the clinical grading of hand.