International Knee Documentation Committee Radiographic Knee Joint Grading More Reliable Than Kellgren-Lawrence Grading and Other Grading Systems

Kellgren-Lawrence grading appears to have become the de facto standard for reporting radiographic degeneration of knees, yet the much later-introduced and knee-specific International Knee Documentation Committee system has repeatedly been shown to have higher reliability. Although International Knee Documentation Committee radiographic grading does have limitations-especially in cases of severe gonarthrosis-it appears to be the most reliable current system suitable for the purposes of arthroscopic knee surgeons, and it was designed to encompass all 3 knee compartments. Posterior-anterior weight-bearing radiographs taken at approximately 45 degrees of knee flexion have repeatedly been shown to be more sensitive for revealing tibiofemoral degeneration than standard anterior-posterior weight-bearing views at or near full extension.