Arthroscopy Doesn’t Delay Total Knee Replacement in Knee Osteoarthritis

Published: JAMA, April 18, 2024. Birmingham, TB

 

Dr Wolff’s Opinion:

This study evaluated whether arthroscopic surgery for knee pain secondary to osteoarthritis (OA) is helpful (or harmful) with respect to either delaying or increasing the need for total knee arthroplasty (TKA, more commonly known as joint replacement surgery).  Patients with symptomatic knee pain and stiffness secondary to OA received conservative treatment alone (PT, medications, injections) or conservatively including arthroscopic surgery to resect portions of degenerative knee tissue. Follow up over 13 years, found that those patients who underwent arthroscopic surgery for OA related knee pain, did not help significantly to delay the need for TKA in those patients that eventually required surgery. Non operative management without surgery was just as effective. The study found there was no significant difference between the two groups with respect to the percentage of patients that underwent eventual TKA.  Arthroscopic surgery neither delays nor accelerates the eventual timing of knee joint replacement for pain secondary to OA. Therefore, this study does not support arthroscopic surgery for OA, as it does not provide additional benefit to comprehensive nonoperative management.

 

Cite: Tahmasbi Sohi M, Cali M, Forster JE, Kiseljak-Vassiliades K, Wierman ME. Short term effects of intraarticular triamcinolone acetonide injection on serum testosterone, luteinizing hormone, and follicle stimulating hormone levels in male veterans: A prospective pilot study. PM R. 2024 Jan;16(1):6-13. doi: 10.1002/pmrj.13001. Epub 2023 Jun 27. PMID: 37229562.