<i>Cartilage regions</i> analyzed using dGEMRIC.

<p>Central sagittal MR image through the lateral tibiofemoral joint. The three anatomical cartilage ROIs which were drawn and analyzed on three consecutive images in each compartment of the tibiofemoral joint are shown. wbFC (green): weight-bearing cartilage of the femoral condyle. pFC (yellow): posterior non weight-bearing cartilage of the femoral condyle. wbTP (red): weight-bearing cartilage of the tibial plateau.</p

Differences between dGEMRIC T1 relaxation times at baseline and follow-up.

<p>Bar graphs showing the differences in dGEMRIC T1 relaxation times in each anatomical cartilage ROI at follow-up, 14 weeks after HA injections compared to baseline. The bar represents the mean and the whiskers represent the 95% confidence interval for the mean. +95 ms: clinically relevant threshold for improvement in cartilage sGAG content if a single patient is followed over time using dGEMRIC [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0079785#B24" target="_blank">24</a>]. -85 ms: clinically relevant threshold for impairment of cartilage sGAG content if a single patient is followed over time using dGEMRIC [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0079785#B24" target="_blank">24</a>]. wbFC: weight-bearing cartilage of the femoral condyle. pFC: posterior non weight-bearing cartilage of the femoral condyle. wbTP: weight-bearing cartilage of the tibial plateau. </p

dGEMRIC color overlay representing cartilage sGAG content at baseline and follow-up.

<p>Representative sagittal central MR image through the medial tibiofemoral compartment of an early-stage OA knee before (A) and after (B) viscosupplementation with HA. The T1 color map of the cartilage clearly shows a region with relatively lower T1 relaxation times (grey arrows in A), indicating relatively lower sGAG content in the weight-bearing femoral cartilage before viscosupplementation (A). After HA injections (B), however, the region with relatively low T1 relaxation times is still present (grey arrows in B).</p

Outcomes of KOOS and NRS questionnaires at baseline and follow-up.

<p>Bar graphs showing the KOOS subscales and NRS pain at baseline (light blue box) and at follow-up, 14 weeks after HA injections (dark blue box). The bar represents the mean and the whiskers represent the 95% confidence interval for the mean. HA: hyaluronic acid injections. ADL: activities of daily living, sports: sport and function, and QoL: knee-related quality of life. *: <i>p</i>-values adjusted using Holm’s method <0.05.</p