Improving comparability of microCT assessment and reporting of subchondral bone in mouse models of osteoarthritis

Objective: Subchondral bone is a critical component of the osteochondral unit, but its translation from histology to quantitative imaging studies using micro-computed tomography (microCT) remains inconsistent.Definitions diverge on how far the subchondral region extends from the articular surface, how volumes of interest (VOIs) are defined, how subchondral bone plate is separated from subchondral trabecular bone, and whether articular calcified cartilage is included in the analysis.In murine models of osteoarthritis, where tissue dimensions approach the imaging voxel size, these issues are further magnified.