Summary
We studied the effects of repeated intra-articular injections of sterile 140 mM NaCl solution on articular cartilage in adult rabbits. After 20 injections into the knee joints over a period of 4 weeks, chondrocyte glucosaminoglycan synthesis was evenly reduced in all cartilage layers, accompanied by a significant proteoglycan depletion of the matrix which was most marked in the superficial half of the cartilage. These and other changes only partially reversed during a further 4-week period after the injections had been stopped. Our data underline the need for a clear-cut indication for intra-articular injections. The microtrauma caused by injection, in conjunction with the introduction of a carrier solution into the joint, may, at least when repeated at short intervals, lead to measurable damage to the articular cartilage.
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Recipient of grant no. Ne 308/1-1 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Bonn, Germany
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Neidel, J., Schmidt, J. & Hackenbroch, M.H. Intra-articular injections and articular cartilage metabolism. Arch Orthop Trauma Surg 111, 237–242 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571486
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00571486