A systematic review and meta-analysis of Level I and II randomised controlled trials published in the American journal “Arthroscopy” analysed the medium-term outcomes of intra-articular hip injections for osteoarthritis with biologic agents and hyaluronic acid.
This systematic review was carried out through the PubMed, Cochrane Library and Embase databases, targeting randomised controlled trials. Patients had been assessed with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score, the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, and the Harris Hip Score (HHS).
Six studies were identified (five Level I and one Level II), which included 211 patients who underwent intra-articular injection with biologic agents, and 197 who underwent injection with hyaluronic acid. No statistically significant differences were observed in the outcome scores (WOMAC, VAS or HHS).
The authors concluded that patients treated with intra-articular injections of biologic agents or hyaluronic acid can expect similar outcomes in the medium term.
Source: “Arthroscopy”, June 2022