Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent disease and treatment options for early stages of OA are needed. Intraosseous injections of bone substitute and biologic materials have been proposed to expand the therapeutic arsenal by potentially halting OA progression and delaying the need for knee arthroplasty in patients with early/moderate-stage disease. Therefore, the goal of this study was assessed the efficacy and safety of subchondral intraosseous injection for the treatment of knee OA. A systematic review was performed on PubMed-Medline, and the Cochrane Database of systematic reviews. English and Spanish retrospective and prospective studies assessing the results of subchondral intraosseous injection of bone substitute materials and/or biologicals in human patients with knee OA, with a minimum of 6 months of follow-up were collected. A total of 1,081 potential articles were identified through our search. Six studies were included with a total of 163 patients. The mean follow-up was 18 months (range: 6–24 months). Patient reported outcomes measures (PROMs), complications, and conversion to total knee arthroplasty (TKA) were collected. All six studies showed PROMs improvement relative to baseline. Overall, the five studies reporting visual-analog scale (VAS) pain outcomes improved from a baseline mean score of 6.68 to 2.74. Also, knee injury and osteoarthritis score (KOOS), Tegner-Lysholm, and/or international knee documentation committee (IKDC) scores rose compared with baseline scores in all studies. Overall, 2.5% (4/163) of patients had a complication attributed to study-related treatment. Most patients (81%, 86/106) remained TKA-free at a 1-year follow-up. Subchondral intraosseous injections of bone substitute materials and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) suggest (1) improved PROMs of pain and functional status, (2) low complication rate, and (3) relatively low rates of conversion to TKA. However, the current studies investigating these treatments exhibited high degree of heterogeneity in both measurement of outcomes and delivery of treatment, with a high risk of bias. This procedure should not be utilized in advanced knee OA. In light of the limitations of the current literature, advising in favor or against this therapy for early to moderate knee OA is challenging.
Arthrofibrosis following total knee arthroplasty (TKA) is a debilitating condition typically diagnosed based on clinical findings. To gain insight into the histopathologic immune cell microenvironment of arthrofibrosis, we assessed the extent of tissue fibrosis and quantified immune cell populations in specific tissue regions of the posterior capsule. We investigated specimens from three prospectively-collected, matched cohorts, grouped as patients receiving a primary TKA for osteoarthritis, revision TKA for arthrofibrosis, and revision TKA for non-arthrofibrotic, non-infectious reasons. Specimens were evaluated using hematoxylin and eosin staining, picrosirius red staining, immunofluorescence, and immunohistochemistry with Aperio®-based digital image analysis. Increased collagen deposition and increased number of α-SMA/ACTA2 expressing myofibroblasts were present in the arthrofibrosis group compared to the two non-arthrofibrotic groups. CD163 + macrophages were the most abundant immune cell type in any capsular sample with specific enrichment in the synovial tissue. CD163 + macrophages were significantly decreased in the fibrotic tissue region of arthrofibrosis patients compared to the patients with primary TKA, and significantly increased in adipose tissue region of arthrofibrotic specimens compared to non-arthrofibrotic specimens. Synovial CD117 + mast cells were significantly decreased in arthrofibrotic adipose tissue. Together, these findings inform diagnostic and targeted therapeutic strategies by providing insight into the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms of arthrofibrosis.
Background: Unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) is a viable option for patients with symptomatic knee arthritis isolated to 1 compartment. Previous articles have suggested that mobile-bearing UKA should not be performed in patients without bone-on-bone arthritis. The purpose of this study was to compare the clinical outcomes and survivorship of mobile-bearing UKA in patients with severe osteoarthritis with bone-on-bone contact and patients with severe osteoarthritis but without bone-on-bone contact. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed a single surgeon’s experience with medial compartment mobile-bearing UKA in 219 patients (271 knees) who underwent the procedure between 2007 and 2015. Anteroposterior and posteroanterior radiographs were reviewed, and arthritis was graded using the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) grading system. Only patients with grade D (severe arthritis) were studied. Of the patients who had grade-D arthritis, there were 81 patients (94 knees) with bone-on-bone arthritis and 82 patients (91 knees) without bone-on-bone contact. Functional outcomes were assessed using the Knee Society pain and function scores. Survivorship free of revision in these 2 groups was determined using Kaplan-Meier curves at 8 years. Results: There were no significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of age (p = 0.91), sex (p = 0.21), or body mass index (p = 0.63). At the time of the final follow-up, there was no significant difference in Knee Society pain scores (p = 0.59) or Knee Society function scores (p = 0.9) between the 2 groups. There were 5 revisions in the group with bone-on-bone contact and 2 revisions in the group without bone-on-bone contact. The survivorship free of revision at 8 years was 95% for the group with bone-on-bone contact and 98% for the group without bone-on-bone contact (p = 0.45). Conclusions: Patients with severe knee arthritis (IKDC grade D) without bone-on-bone contact had similar outcomes of mobile-bearing UKA compared with patients with bone-on-bone contact. UKA is a safe and reliable option in patients with severe osteoarthritis who do not have bone-on-bone contact on preoperative radiographs and it should therefore not be considered a contraindication for mobile-bearing UKA as long as the patient’s symptoms are severe enough to warrant surgical intervention. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level III . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
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