Altered Resting-State Connectivity with Pain-Related Expectation Regions in Female Patients with Severe Knee Osteoarthritis.

This was the first study to show the stronger rs-FCs between the aIC and other pain-related expectation regions in female patients with severe knee OA. Female sex and preoperative pain intensity are risk factors of persistent postoperative pain after total knee arthroplasty. It is suggested that the functional relationship between pain-related expectation regions affects the formation of severe knee OA and persistent postoperative pain following total knee arthroplasty.