Prevention is better than cure: Surgical repair of knee injuries ‘does not reduce osteoarthritis risk’

July 1st, 2010

Surgical treatment for ligament and cartilage injuries in the knee does not reduce an individual’s risk of developing osteoarthritis, new research in the journal Radiology has found.

Scientists at Leiden University Medical Centre in The Netherlands followed-up 326 patients who had experienced knee pain before undergoing an MRI scan and treatment for a torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) or meniscal cartilage injury.

The ACL is one of four ligaments that connect the bones in the knee, while the meniscus is a wedge-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a shock-absorber.

Researchers found that patients with ACL and meniscus tears faced a higher-than-average risk of osteoarthritis.

Ten years after their initial injury, patients typically showed signs of osteoarthritis in the affected area, regardless of whether or not they had undergone surgical repair.

The findings suggest that patients’ elevated risk of osteoarthritis was not reduced by surgery to repair the torn ligament or remove the damaged cartilage.

Lead author Dr Kasper Huetink, resident radiologist at Leiden University Medical Centre, commented: “This study proves that meniscal and cruciate ligament lesions increase the risk of developing specific types of knee osteoarthritis. Surgical therapy does not decrease that risk.

“We showed a direct relationship between injury and long-term consequences, and showed that surgery has no impact on long-term outcomes.”

Dr Huetink added that more research is needed to determine the short and long-term benefits of different types of surgical approach for a damaged meniscus.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 1st, 2010 at 5:32 pm |

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