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Hyaluronic acid effective for treatment of early stage ankle osteoarthritis

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KEYSTONE, Colo. — A 1-year follow-up study shows that intra-articular hyaluronic acid injection may provide a high rate of satisfaction for patients with early stage ankle osteoarthritis, according to a study presented by Tae hun Kim, MD.

“Hyaluronic acid injection is an efficient and durable treatment method for early stage ankle osteoarthritis,” Kim said.

Kim and his team studied the efficacy and durability of hyaluronic acid injection for early stage ankle osteoarthritis, and presented the results at the 2011 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society.

Study design

Kim and his team conducted a selective case control study of 27 patients, 13 men and 14 women, who presented at their outpatient clinic between 2008 and 2010. The patients were between 33 years and 77 years old, with a mean age of 56 years. For the study, patients with early-stage ankle osteoarthritis (OA) who had unsuccessful treatment with 3 months of oral medical therapy received intra-articular hyaluronic acid injection. They received injections of 2 mL of high-molecular weight hyaluronic acid for 3 weeks each.

The investigators measured the outcomes of the treatment using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), patient satisfaction score and Takakura stage. They followed up with patients after the procedure and at 3 months and 6 months, and followed 20 patients for up to 1 year. Average follow-up duration was 16 months.

Results

Investigators categorized 8 patients as Takakura Stage 1 and 12 patients were Takakura Stage 2. Before injection, the VAS score was 8.8 ± 0.7. At the 3-month follow-up, the average VAS score was 3±0.2.

The mean VAS score at final follow-up was 8.8±2.9. Patient satisfaction score was 88%. Investigators found that eight patients reported themselves as very satisfied with the procedure, seven patients were satisfied, three patients rated the procedure as fair and two patients were not satisfied. There were no postoperative radiologic OA stage changes.

Most patients had sympotomatic relief after the injections, according to the study abstract. Hyaluronic acid injections proved effective after 1 year or more follow-up. – Renee Blisard

Reference:

• Kim TH, Han SH, Jo J. One-year follow-up efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronic acid injection in early stage ankle OA. Paper #084. Presented at the 2011 Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society. July 13-16. Keystone, Colo.
• Disclosure: Kim has no relevant financial disclosures.

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