Identify patient and treatment factors that predict a favorable response to intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment to better guide patient and treatment selection

Hyaluronic acid injections for osteoarthritis of the knee predictors of successful treatment.

Article specifications

This prospective, observational study was published in 2018 in Journal of Int Orthop. (IF 2017:3.687) by American specialists. The aim of this study is to identify patient and treatment factors that predict a favourable response to intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) treatment to better guide patient and treatment selection. Patients with mild-to-moderate (Kellgren-Lawrence grades 1-3) primary knee osteoarthritis treated between March 2013 and May 2016. Patients were followed an average of 27 months.

 

Result

Of 102 patients, 57% had a positive response. Patients with mild-to-moderate osteoarthritis (grades 1-2) and those responding positively to the first injection were twice as likely to respond positively to the injection series, as were patients ≥60 years. Patients who did not respond positively were more likely to proceed to arthroplasty. The VAS appears to be a reliable method of defining and monitoring treatment success. Judicious patient selection and counseling may improve outcomes associated with intra-articular HA injections.