THE INTERNATIONAL WORKSHOP OF OSTEOARTHRITIS IMAGING (IWOAI) 2026 IN MUNICH (Bavaria):

From June 23-26, 2026, the osteoarthritis imaging community met under the theme “Tissues: Linking Them All Together”. The 20th Workshop brought the workshop back close to its roots in Southeast Germany. When the first IWOAI was held in Ainring in 2007, few could have imagined that the workshop would continue for two decades.

Selected impressions from IWOAI 2026 are shown in the carousel.

The workshop was organized by Frank W. Roemer and Wolfgang Wirth (CEO Chondrometrics GmbH), with support from Madina Dzhappueva and the scientific committee. The Chondrometrics GmbH team was pleased to support the meeting onsite, to contribute to the scientific program, and to join many discussions with long-standing collaborators and friends.

The venue for IWOAI 2026 was the Katholische Akademie in Munich-Schwabing, at the entrance to the English Garden. The setting provided a quiet and focused atmosphere in the middle of a lively city, close to one of Europe’s largest urban parks.

Under the theme “Tissues: Linking Them All Together”, the program included almost 20 invited lectures, together with a similar number of submitted abstracts presented orally or as posters. The scientific sessions covered a broad range of topics in osteoarthritis imaging, including cartilage, bone, synovitis, inflammation-related imaging measures, structural progression, post-hoc analyses, artificial intelligence, quantitative image analysis, and the role of imaging biomarkers in clinical trials.

The Chondrometrics team was happy to present recent scientific work and methodological developments during the workshop.

Susanne Maschek presented a poster entitled “Clinical Validation of AI-Based Cartilage Analysis Predicting Knee Replacement”.

Wolfgang Wirth presented work on “Prognostic Validity and Sensitivity to Change of Automatically Measured Hoffa Radiomics in Progressor vs. Non-Progressor Knees”.

Felix Eckstein presented results on the “Longitudinal Sensitivity to Change and Prognostic Validity of Automatically Measured Effusion Synovitis Volume (ESV)”. He also gave an invited lecture entitled “Different Ways to Look at the Same Data: How Valid Are Post-Hoc Analyses in Clinical Trials?”

Together, these contributions reflect Chondrometrics’ continued focus on validated imaging biomarkers for osteoarthritis research and clinical trials, including AI-supported cartilage analysis, quantitative assessment of inflammatory imaging features, and radiomics.

But IWOAI has always been more than a sequence of lectures. It is also a place where scientists, clinicians, imaging experts, statisticians, and industry partners can meet in an informal setting, exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and build collaborations.

The 2026 social program greatly reflected this tradition. The workshop opened in classic Bavarian style at the Hofbräuhaus in Munich, one of the city’s most iconic beer halls. Founded in 1589 by Duke Wilhelm V of Bavaria as the royal brewery for the Bavarian court, Hofbräuhaus provided a fitting setting to welcome the international osteoarthritis imaging community to Munich. Further evening events included the Seehaus at Kleinhesseloher See in the English Garden and BMW Welt near the Olympic Park, surrounded by classic cars. These evenings offered space for continuing scientific conversations, reconnecting with colleagues, and strengthening the personal ties that make IWOAI a durable and lively community.

The post-conference tour has become one of the well-loved traditions of IWOAI. In 2026, participants travelled from Munich-Schwabing to the Ammersee, one of Bavaria’s most beautiful lakes. After a boat trip on the “Utting”, a historically styled passenger vessel operated by Bayerische Seenschifffahrt, the group continued to Kloster Andechs. The Benedictine monastery on Bavaria’s “Holy Mountain” has welcomed pilgrims and visitors for centuries and is closely associated with monastic brewing tradition. On a hot Bavarian summer day, the visit offered a relaxed setting for further conversation, reflection, and a final shared experience before participants returned to Munich and further

Chondrometrics extends its sincere thanks to Frank Roemer, Madina Dzhappueva, the invited speakers, presenters, participants, and the many collaborators who made IWOAI 2026 such a successful and memorable meeting. The workshop once again demonstrated the strength of the osteoarthritis imaging community and the importance of bringing together different tissues, methods, disciplines, and perspectives.

We look forward to the 21st IWOAI in 2027 in Boston, hosted by Jamie Collins, Jeff Duryea, and Mohamed Jarraya, and to continuing the scientific exchange within the IWOAI.