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Osteochondral fracture with disrupted cortical bone causes increased inflammation
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Concomitant osteochondral fracture with disrupted cortical bone was associated with a higher degree of joint inflammation in acutely injured knees with hemarthrosis, according to study results.
Researchers aspirated synovial fluid (SF) and performed 1.5-T MRI for the acutely injured knees of 98 patients. MRI showed 39% of knees had an osteochondral fracture with disrupted cortical bone, 30% had an osteochondral fracture with intact cortical bone and 32% did not have an osteochondral fracture.
The researchers analyzed concentrations of sulfated glycosaminoglycan, ARGS aggrecan, cartilage oligomeric matrix protein, osteocalcin, secreted protein acidic and rich in cysteine, osteopontin and proinflammatory cytokines.
Knees with any osteochondral fracture, with or without disrupted cortical bone, had significantly higher SF concentrations of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha after adjusting for days between injury and SF aspiration, age at injury and sex, according to the researchers. Additionally, significantly higher SF concentrations, interleukin-8 and TNF-alpha were found in knees with osteochondral fracture with disrupted cortical bone compared with knees without osteochondral fracture.
“These results support and extend previous results in suggesting that an associated osteochondral fracture with disrupted cortical bone may be indicative of a more severe trauma after knee injury,” the researchers wrote.
Disclosure: See the study for a full list of all authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
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