Anatomical alignment, but not goniometry, predicts femorotibial cartilage loss as well as mechanical alignment: data from the Osteoarthritis Initiative

After adjustment, the new FTA measure obtained from short (fixed-flexion) knee films was as good as the gold standard in predicting medial and lateral cartilage loss over 1- or 2-years, without need for obtaining long-limb radiographs for determining the mechanical axis. Goniometry and non-adjusted FTA measures, in contrast, were poor predictors of cartilage loss.