A comparative, double-blind, controlled study of intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid versus local anaesthetic in hip osteoarthritis

Arthritis Research and Therapy, Dec 2009
The aim of the study was to compare intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid with injection of a local anaesthetic for hip osteoarthritis. The authors conducted a prospective, double-blind, 6-month randomised study in 42 patients with hip osteoarthritis. Hyaluronic acid or mepivacaine was administered twice (once a month) under ultrasound guidance. The efficacy measures included the Lequesne index of pain and function, a visual analogue scale for pain, assessment of the concomitant use of other analgesics, the patient’s own opinion, the doctor’s assessment and the safety of the drugs. The results showed a significant reduction in the Lequesne index in the hyaluronic acid group at three and six months after treatment (p<0.001) and a significantly reduced score on the visual analogue scale for pain over the same periods (p<0.05) compared with the local anaesthetic group. There was no difference in the remaining efficacy measures at three and six months. The authors concluded that there is a beneficial effect of intra-articular administration and that hyaluronic acid is a safe treatment in the management of osteoarthritis of the hip.