RFE based chondroplasty in wrist arthroscopy indicates high risk for chrondocytes especially for the bipolar application

The Arthroscopic Application of Radiofrequency in Treatment of Articular Cartilage Lesions

Articular cartilage lesion is a common disease to be treated by arthroscopic surgery. It will eventually progress to osteoarthritis without proper management, which can affect patients’ work and daily life seriously. Although mechanical debridement and laser have been used clinically for its treatment, due to their respective drawbacks, radiofrequency has drawn increasing attention from clinicians as a new technique with more advantages. However, the safety and efficacy of radiofrequency have also been questioned. In this article, the scope of application of radiofrequency was reviewed following an introduction of its development history and mechanism, and the methods to ensure the safety and effectiveness of radiofrequency through power and temperature control were summarized.

Cartilage Injuries and Posttraumatic Osteoarthritis in the Wrist: A Review

OBJECTIVE

Focal cartilage injuries, and posttraumatic osteoarthritis (OA) in the wrist are likely common and a cause of wrist pain. To estimate the incidence of cartilage lesions and to understand the pathomechanisms leading to wrist cartilage injuries and OA, a literature review on the subject was performed combined with a presentation of one of the authors' own experience.

DESIGN

This study includes a literature review of the topic. As a comparison to the review findings, the observations of one of the authors' consecutive 48 wrist arthroscopies, were assessed. PubMed, Scholar, and Cochrane databases were searched using the keywords "cartilage injury AND wrist AND treatment" and "wrist AND cartilage AND chondral AND osteochondral AND degenerative OA."

:RESULT

A total of 11 articles, including 9 concerning chondral and osteochondral repair and treatment and 2 regarding posttraumatic OA, were retrieved. The cartilage repair treatments used in these articles were drilling, osteochondral autograft, juvenile articular cartilage allograft, and chondrocyte implantation. One article displayed concomitant cartilage injuries in displaced distal radius fractures in 32% of the patients. The review of our findings from a 1-year cohort of wrist arthroscopies showed 17% cartilage injuries.

CONCLUSION

There is a lack of knowledge in current literature on cartilage injuries and treatment, as well as posttraumatic OA in the wrist. Cartilage injuries appear to be common, being found in 17% to 32% of all wrist arthroscopies after trauma, but no guidelines regarding conservative or surgical treatment can be recommended at the moment. Larger prospective comparative studies are needed.

Quantitative Analysis of Surface Contouring with Pulsed Bipolar Radiofrequency on Thin Chondromalacic Cartilage

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality of surface contouring of chondromalacic cartilage by bipolar radio frequency energy using different treatment patterns in an animal model, as well as examining the impact of the treatment onto chondrocyte viability by two different methods. Our experiments were conducted on 36 fresh osteochondral sections from the tibia plateau of slaughtered 6-month-old pigs, where the thickness of the cartilage is similar to that of human wrist cartilage. An area of 1 cm² was first treated with emery paper to simulate the chondromalacic cartilage. Then, the treatment with RFE followed in 6 different patterns. The osteochondral sections were assessed for cellular viability (live/dead assay, caspase (cell apoptosis marker) staining, and quantitative analysed images obtained by fluorescent microscopy). For a quantitative characterization of none or treated cartilage surfaces, various roughness parameters were measured using confocal laser scanning microscopy (Olympus LEXT OLS 4000 3D). To describe the roughness, the Root-Mean-Square parameter (Sq) was calculated. A smoothing effect of the cartilage surface was detectable upon each pattern of RFE treatment. The Sq for native cartilage was Sq = 3.8 ± 1.1 μm. The best smoothing pattern was seen for two RFE passes and a 2-second pulsed mode (B2p2) with an Sq = 27.3 ± 4.9 μm. However, with increased smoothing, an augmentation in chondrocyte death up to 95% was detected. Using bipolar RFE treatment in arthroscopy for small joints like the wrist or MCP joints should be used with caution. In the case of chondroplasty, there is a high chance to destroy the joint cartilage.

Effects on the Distal Radioulnar Joint of Ablation of Triangular Fibrocartilage Complex Tears With Radiofrequency Energy

PURPOSE

This cadaver study investigated the temperature profile in the wrist joint and distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) during radiofrequency energy (RFE) application for triangular fibrocartilage complex resection.

METHODS

An arthroscopic partial resection of the triangular fibrocartilage complex using monopolar and bipolar RFE was simulated in 14 cadaver limbs. The temperature was recorded simultaneously in the DRUJ and at 6 other anatomic locations of the wrist during RFE application.

RESULTS

The mean temperature in the DRUJ was 43.3 ± 8.2°C for the bipolar system in the ablation mode (60 W) and 30.4 ± 3.4°C for the monopolar system in the cut mode (20 W) after 30 seconds. The highest measured temperature in the DRUJ was 54.3°C for the bipolar system and 68.1°C for the monopolar system.

CONCLUSIONS

The application of RFE for debridement or resection of the triangular fibrocartilage complex in a clinical setting can induce peak temperatures that might cause damage to the cartilage of the DRUJ. Bipolar systems produce higher mean temperatures than monopolar devices.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

RFE application increases the mean temperature in the DRUJ after 30 seconds to a level that may jeopardize cartilage tissue.