Mechanical and histological studies of acute joint hemorrhage

Management of joint bleeding in hemophilia

Hemarthrosis, the hallmark of severe hemophilia, is the major cause of serious bleeding events, disability and reduced quality of life in patients with factor VIII or factor IX deficiency. Joint bleeding is one of the greatest challenges confronting individuals treating hemophilia, and its economic impact is enormous. This article reviews the current management of hemophilic joint bleeding and discusses the potential impact of novel therapies.

Blood-induced joint disease: the pathophysiology of hemophilic arthropathy

Arthropathy is a frequent and serious complication of repeated joint bleeding in patients with hemophilia, resulting in pain, deformity, and disability. Although the pathogenesis of hemophilic arthropathy has not been fully elucidated, it appears to have similarities with the degenerative joint damage that occurs in osteoarthritis and the inflammatory processes associated with rheumatoid arthritis. This article reviews the potential actions of various blood constituents on joint components that culminate in the development of hemophilic arthropathy.

Pathogenesis of haemophilic arthropathy

The pathogenetic mechanism of haemophilic arthropathy is multifactorial and includes degenerative cartilage-mediated and inflammatory synovium-mediated components. Intra-articular blood first has a direct effect on cartilage, as a result of the iron-catalysed formation of destructive oxygen metabolites (resulting in chondrocyte apoptosis), and subsequently affects the synovium, in addition to haemosiderin-induced synovial triggering. Both processes occur in parallel, and while they influence each other they probably do not depend on each other. This concept resembles degenerative joint damage as found in osteoarthritis as well as inflammatory processes in rheumatoid arthritis. These processes finally result in a fibrotic and destroyed joint.

Blood-induced joint damage: a canine in vivo study

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the direct and indirect (via synovial inflammation) effects of intraarticular bleeding on cartilage in vivo.

METHODS

Right knees of 14 beagle dogs were injected with autologous blood on days 0 and 2. Cartilage matrix proteoglycan turnover, collagen damage, and synovial inflammation of these knees, including the cartilage-destructive properties of the synovial tissue, were determined and compared with those of the left control knees on day 4 (short-term effects; n = 7) and day 16 (long-term effects; n = 7).

RESULTS

Injected knees had a diminished content of proteoglycans in the cartilage matrix, and release of proteoglycans was enhanced (days 4 and 16). The synthesis of proteoglycans was significantly inhibited on day 4 but was enhanced on day 16. On day 4 more collagen was denatured in the injected joint than in the control joint; this effect was no longer detectable on day 16. Synovial tissue showed signs of inflammation on day 4 and day 16 but had cartilage-destructive properties only on day 16.

CONCLUSION

In vivo exposure of articular cartilage to blood for a relatively short time results in lasting changes in chondrocyte activity and in cartilage matrix integrity, changes that may predict lasting joint damage over time. Interestingly, the direct effect of blood on cartilage precedes the indirect effect via synovial inflammation.

Synovium in haemophilic arthropathy

Synovium is an essential component of the joint and plays a critical role in maintaining a balance between physiological processes and pathological changes in the joint. Recurrent intra-articular bleeding as occur in haemophilia induce pathological synovial changes in the joint. From a certain point on, synovitis inevitably plays a major role in joint destruction, although in the early phase of haemophilic arthropathy its role may be secondary to cartilage damage as a result of the direct effects of blood on cartilage. The changed haemosiderotic, synovial tissue produces catabolic cytokines and enzymes harmful for cartilage.

Posttraumatic stiffness in the hand

Maximalization of motion after healing is a primary goal of treatment when the surgeon is presented with a hand injury. The contribution of muscle/tendon, capsule and ligament, and the joint surface to the problem of posttraumatic stiffness is reviewed. Treatment possibilities for posttraumatic stiffness are presented and the importance of remobilization to the outcome of the care delivered is emphasized.

Quantitative photometrical assessment of iron deposits in synovial membranes in different joint diseases

We investigated 86 synovial membranes from patients suffering either from rheumatoid arthritis (RA) or osteoarthritis (OA). Iron deposits in the synovial membrane were stained by the Prussian blue reaction, and the amount of stained iron was quantitatively assessed by microscope photometry. We found a statistically significant increase in iron deposits in the synovial membrane of RA patients when compared to OA patients. The amount of iron deposits correlated with the histological subtype of synovitis, those presenting with more exudative and proliferative features showing greater amounts of iron deposits. We also observed an inverse correlation between the haemoglobin concentration and erythrocytes in the serum and the amount of iron in the synovial membrane. From our data we concluded that iron deposits in the synovial membrane can contribute by several mechanisms, including activation of oxygen radicals, to the chronic inflammatory reaction in RA synovitis.

Acute hemarthrosis: a histological, biochemical, and biomechanical correlation of early effects on the anterior cruciate ligament in a rabbit model

The early histological, biochemical, and biomechanical characteristics of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) were determined in a rabbit model of acute hemarthrosis. The ACLs of 19 rabbits were given seven consecutive daily knee injections of 2 ml of fresh autologous blood, and then compared to contralateral ACLs from control knees injected with 2 ml of lactated Ringer's solution daily for 7 days. The rabbits were then sacrificed. Synovial proliferation with iron deposition within synoviocytes was observed; however, the architecture of the ACL was maintained. Additionally, the total collagen content, collagenase activity, and biomechanical properties of the ACL were unaltered.

Colloid osmotic and hydrostatic pressures and energy metabolism in high-protein joint swelling. A preliminary study of traumatic effusions of the knee

In 10 patients referred to arthroscopy with traumatic effusions of the knee, the protein concentration of the synovial fluid (SF) correlated to its colloid osmotic pressure (pi SF). The pi SF did not correlate to the poorly determined hydrostatic pressure (PSF) in extended or slightly flexed joints or to the SF volume (VSF). SF hypoxia correlated to pi SF and to the number of intra-articular erythrocytes, but not to the determined PSF or VSF. SF hypoxia correlated to increase in lactate and decrease in pH, fitting enhanced anaerobic glycolysis. In addition, SF erythrocyte counts correlated to lactate increase. During a 5-min period of high PSF induced by flexion, the PSF decreased, and even more markedly so after the joints had been rinsed with saline. The results suggest that rinsing of joints in order to lower the pi SF and to remove erythrocytes is of benefit in cases of traumatic effusion.