Prospective Evaluation of Intra-Articular Sodium Hyaluronate Injection in the Ankle

Effects and Safety of Intra-Articular Sodium Hyaluronate Injection for the Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Clinical Trial

Various nonoperative treatments have been implemented to reduce pain and improve the quality of life in patients with ankle osteoarthritis. Among these treatments, intra-articular hyaluronate injection has proven efficacy and safety in patients with knee osteoarthritis. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and complications of hyaluronate injection using various clinical scoring systems. This study included 37 patients with unilateral ankle osteoarthritis (grade 2 or 3 according to the Takakura classification) who did not respond to previous pharmacological treatment. 3 weekly hyaluronate injections (2 mL Hyruan Plus®) were administered. The efficacy of intra-articular hyaluronate injection was evaluated on the basis of patient-reported foot and ankle clinical assessment at a mean follow-up of 13.8 ± 8.3 (range 6-33) months. Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale scores for pain and disability, American Orthopedic Foot and Ankle Society ankle-hindfoot scores, and visual analog scale for pain significantly improved at the final follow-up compared to that before intra-articular hyaluronate injection (p ≤ .05). When patients were dichotomized according to age, sex, body mass index, symptom duration, and Takakura classification, all these factors were not related to clinical outcomes. This study suggests that 3 weekly intra-articular hyaluronate injections can be performed safely to reduce pain and improve function without serious complications in patients with early or intermediate-grade ankle osteoarthritis when patients inadequately respond to medication. Larger controlled studies are needed to clarify the effects of hyaluronate injection and identify patients who can benefit most from hyaluronate injection.

[Conservative treatment options for arthritis of the ankle : What is possible, what is effective?]

In this article the causes of arthritis in the region of the ankle are introduced and the conservative treatment options are described and discussed more extensively. The risks of treatment with nonopioid analgesics (NOPA) are presented in detail. The topical use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) should always be considered in the clinical routine. If contraindications for oral NSAIDs are present, intra-articular treatment is a meaningful option. The best evidence is currently available for viscosupplementation but the study situation for the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is still not sufficiently comprehensive and there are only a few case reports on the use of mesenchymal stem cells..

Bone marrow aspirate concentrate and scaffold for osteochondral lesions of the talus in ankle osteoarthritis: satisfactory clinical outcome at 10 years

PURPOSE

To evaluate at long-term follow-up patients undergoing a one-step procedure of debridement and BMAC seeded in situ onto a scaffold for the treatment of osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) in ankles affected by osteoarthritis (OA), documenting the duration of the clinical benefit and its efficacy in postponing end-stage procedures.

METHODS

This series included 56 consecutive patients. Patients were evaluated preoperatively and up to a mean of 10 years of follow-up with the AOFAS score and the AOS scale, including pain and disability subscales. Furthermore, patients were asked to rate the satisfaction and failures were documented as well.

RESULTS

The AOFAS score improved from 52.3 ± 14.3 to 73.5 ± 23.1 at 10 years (p  < 0.0005); the AOS pain and disability subscales decreased from 70.9 ± 14.1 to 37.2 ± 32.7 and from 69.0 ± 14.8 to 34.2 ± 29.3, respectively (both p < 0.0005). The overall rate of satisfaction was 61.8 ± 41.2 and 68.6% of patients would undergo again the surgical procedure. A total of 17 failures was documented, for a failure rate of 33.3%. Older patients and those with more complex cases requiring previous or combined surgeries had lower outcomes, as well as those affected by grade 3 OA, who experienced a high failure rate of 71.4%.

CONCLUSIONS

This one-step technique for the treatment of OLT in OA ankles showed to be safe and to provide a satisfactory outcome, even if patients with end stage OA presented a high revision rate at 10 years. Moreover, this procedure was effective over time, with overall good results maintained up to a long-term follow-up. However, older age, more complex cases requiring previous or combined surgeries, and advanced OA led to an overall worst outcome and a significantly higher failure rate.

The Effect of a Single Hyaluronic Acid Injection in Ankle Arthritis: A Prospective Cohort Study

Nonoperative measures are often used as first line treatment in ankle osteoarthritis. One of these measures consists of hyaluronic acid injections in the affected ankle joint, but efficiency of this treatment is uncertain. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect on Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score, visual analog scale score at rest, and visual analog scale score at activity 6 months after a single dose of hyaluronic acid in patients with ankle osteoarthritis. Patients were included from December 2017 to March 2019. A single intra-articular injection of Cingal or MonoVisc was administered. Age, gender, osteoarthritis-grade, Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score, visual analog score at activity, and at rest before injection and after 6 months was registered. A total of 33 patients were included, with 14 lost to follow-up. Four were treated with MonoVisc and were excluded to reduce confounding. The remaining 15 patients were included for analysis. Median Self-reported Foot and Ankle Score remained unchanged (p = .06), whereas visual analog score at activity went from 7 to 6 (.02) and visual analog score at rest was reduced from 4 to 3 (.02). Subgroup analysis on arthrosis grade (grade I-II and III-IV) showed no statistically significant changes for all variables even though patients with grade III-IV arthrosis seemed to benefit more from the treatment. The results indicate that a single injection of hyaluronic acid is insufficient to produce at clinically relevant response after 6 months even though there is a high risk of underpowering because of a small patient population.

Evidence on ankle injections for osteochondral lesions and osteoarthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

To evaluate the evidence supporting safety and effectiveness of intra-articular injective treatments for ankle lesions ranging from osteochondral lesions of the talus (OLT) to osteoarthritis (OA).

METHODS

A systematic review and a meta-analysis were performed on PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library in March 2020. Safety was evaluated through the reported side effects and effectiveness through the scores used. The quality of the studies was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2.0 tool and the Downs and Black checklist. For each outcome, the quality of evidence was graded according to GRADE guidelines.

RESULTS

Twenty-four studies (21 for OA, 3 for OLT) were included on hyaluronic acid (HA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), saline, methylprednisolone, botulinum toxin type A (BoNT-A), mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), and prolotherapy. No severe adverse events were reported. For OLT, a comparison was possible between HA and PRP showing no significant difference. For ankle OA, a significant difference favouring HA versus saline was documented at six months (p < 0.001). The GRADE level of evidence was very low.

CONCLUSION

This meta-analysis supports the safety of intra-articular treatment for ankle OA and OLT, while only a very low evidence supports the efficacy of HA in terms of better results versus placebo for the treatment of ankle OA, and other conclusions are hindered by the scarcity of the available literature. This urges further and stronger trials to specifically investigate potential and limitations of these different injective approaches for the treatment of OLT and ankle OA.

Nonanimal Hyaluronic Acid for the Treatment of Ankle Osteoarthritis: AProspective, Single-Arm Cohort Study

Ankle osteoarthritis (OA) can cause disabling symptoms, and some patients prefer to be treated with minimally invasive procedures. Nonanimal hyaluronic acid (NASHA) is a cross-linked hyaluronic acid product that has a prolonged intra-articular residence time. The authors report the first study of NASHA for the treatment of ankle OA. Thirty-seven patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade II or III ankle OA received an intra-articular injection of NASHA (1 mL). Outcomes included visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for pain and disability. At baseline, the mean VAS pain score was 50.1 ± 14.5mm. During the 26-week follow-up period, the least squares (LS) mean change from baseline in the ankle OA VAS pain score was -20.5mm (95% confidence interval [CI] -25.5 to -15.6 mm), an LS mean percentage reduction of 40.0% (95% CI 30.2% to 49.9%). The LS mean change from baseline in the VAS disability score during 26 weeks was -19.2mm (95% CI -24.8 to -13.6 mm), a percentage reduction of 34% (95% CI 22.3% to 45.7%). Five participants experienced a total of 7 adverse events considered to be related to study treatment (injection site pain, n = 3; injection site joint pain, n = 3; plantar fasciitis, n = 1). This study shows promise for viscosupplementation with NASHA in the treatment of ankle OA. A single injection was associated with clinically meaningful reductions in pain and disability during a 26-week period and, in general, was well tolerated.

Management of Posttraumatic Ankle Arthritis: Literature Review

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Trauma is the principle cause of osteoarthritis in the ankle, which is associated with significant morbidity. This review highlights the current literature for the purpose of bringing the reader up-to-date on the management of posttraumatic ankle arthritis, describing treatment efficacy, indications, contraindications, and complications.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent studies on osteoarthritis have demonstrated variability among anatomic locations regarding the mechanisms and rates of development for posttraumatic osteoarthritis, which are attributed to newly discovered biological differences intrinsic to each joint. Regarding surgical management of posttraumatic ankle arthritis, osteochondral allograft transplantation of the talus, and supramalleolar osteotomies have demonstrated promising results. Additionally, the outpatient setting was found to be appropriate for managing pain following total ankle arthroplasty, associated with low complication rates and no readmission. Management for posttraumatic ankle arthritis is generally progressive. Initial treatment entails nonpharmacologic options with surgery reserved for posttraumatic ankle arthritis refractory to conservative treatment. Patient demographics and lifestyles should be carefully considered when formulating a management strategy, as outcomes are dependent upon the satisfaction of each set of respective criteria. Ultimately, the management of posttraumatic ankle arthritis should be individualized to satisfy the needs and desires, which are specific to each patient.

Intra-articular Injections in the Treatment of Symptoms from Ankle Arthritis: A Systematic Review

BACKGROUND

Intra-articular (IA) injections are commonly used to treat knee arthritis pain; however, whether their efficacy generalizes to ankle arthritis remains debatable. We aimed to evaluate the evidence for IA therapies in the management of this patient population.

METHODS

We performed a literature search for observational and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Treatments included corticosteroids (CS), hyaluronic acid (HA), platelet-rich plasma (PRP), and mesenchymal stem cells (MSC). We extracted study details, patient demographics, treatment characteristics, efficacy outcomes, and safety. When feasible, data from RCTs were meta-analyzed using a random-effects model and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated. A P value <.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS

We identified 27 studies (1085 patients). Ankle OA, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and hemophilic arthropathy populations were examined. The majority of studies were observational (20 studies); the only RCTs were those evaluating HA. Case series demonstrated favorable results in terms of symptomatic relief with CS, HA, PRP, and MSC injections; however, the effects of CS may only be short term and the evidence on MSCs was limited to 1 study with 6 ankle OA patients. Pooled results (3 RCTs, 109 patients) suggested significantly improved Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale scores with HA over saline at 6 months, with a mean difference of 12.47 points (95% CI 1.18-23.77, P = .03).

CONCLUSION

Evidence from small trials favors HA and PRP injections for the treatment of pain associated with ankle osteoarthritis. However, the relative efficacy of all injectable therapies is far from definitive and warrants further high-quality comparative trials.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

Level III, systematic review.

The role of biologic in foot and ankle trauma-a review of the literature

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

The use of biologics in orthopedics is becoming increasingly popular as an adjuvant in healing musculoskeletal injuries. Though many biologics involved in the management of foot and ankle injuries are used based on physician preference, reports of improved outcomes when combined with standard operative treatment has led to further clinical interest especially in foot and ankle trauma.

RECENT FINDINGS

The most recent studies have shown benefits for biologic use in patients predisposed to poor bone and soft tissue healing. Biologics have shown benefit in treating soft tissue injuries such as Achilles ruptures as well as the complications of trauma such as non-unions and osteoarthritis. Biologics have shown some benefit in improving functional and pain scores, as well as reducing time to heal in foot and ankle traumatic injuries, with particular success shown with patients that have risk factors for poor healing. As the use of biologics continues to increase, there is a need for high-level studies to confirm early findings of lower level reports.