Less Severe Preoperative Synovitis is Associated With Higher Self-reported Pain Intensity 12 Months After Total Knee Arthroplasty—An Exploratory Prospective Observational Study

Objectives: Synovitis is one of the possible pain generators in osteoarthritis (OA) and is associated with upregulation of proinflammatory cytokines, which can lead to worsening of the postoperative pain. This exploratory study aimed to investigate the association between perioperative synovitis and self-reported pain 12 months after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) in patients with OA. Materials and Methods: Twenty-six knee OA patients were included in this analysis. The perioperative volume of synovitis in predefined locations was assessed by contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) and dynamic contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (DCE-MRI). Perioperative synovitis was assessed histologically from biopsies of the synovium. Highest pain intensity within the last 24 hours (Visual Analog Scale, VAS, 0 to 100) was assessed before and 12 months after TKA. Patients were divided into a low-pain intensity (VAS≤30) and a high-pain intensity (VAS>30) group on the basis of 12 months postoperative VAS. Results: The high-pain intensity group had significantly lower perioperative contrast-enhanced-synovitis (P=0.025), DCE-synovitis (P
Source: The Clinical Journal of Pain - Category: Anesthesiology Tags: Original Articles Source Type: research