Evaluation of The Treatment Efficiency of Microfracture Technique and Intra-Articular Sodium Hyaluronate Injection on Osteoarthritis of Rats

Abstract

The animals with osteoarthritis suffer from clinical signs such as joint pain, reluctance to move, loss of performance and lameness. Many medical and interventional methods are used to manage osteoarthritis but no described treatment can completely repair damaged cartilage yet. In this study, 40 male Wistar Albino rats were randomly assigned as microfracture technique group, intra-articular hyaluronic acid group, microfracture technique + intra-articular hyaluronic acid group and control group (n=10). Clinically, knee circumference and body weight were measured and, leg posture was scored. Radiological examination findings were evaluated using a grading based on 3 parameter as joint space narrowing, subchondral bone sclerosis, osteophyte formation. Also, at the end of the experiment, following sacrification, the joint of the relevant leg was scored according to the severity of osteoarthritis. Considering the changes in the leg posture, the knee circumference measurement and the radiological findings, the development of osteoarthritis was successfully achieved with monosodium iodoacetate application in this study. In line with the findings obtained from the presented study, it was concluded that combining microfracture technique with hyaluronic acid application would not contribute additionally to the treatment process, and even using microfracture or hyaluronic acid application alone may produce more positive results.