Hylan G-F 20 efficacy on articular cartilage quality in patients with knee osteoarthritis: clinical and MRI assessment

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30 patients with knee osteoarthritis were randomly assigned to receive either intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) or placebo injections. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of three weekly intra-articular HA injections on clinical and MRI outcomes compared with a placebo. Follow-up was performed at 1, 2, 3, and 8 weeks following the first injection. HA injections were associated with significant within-group improvement for measures of pain, stiffness, and function. When compared to placebo, results for pain and function significantly favoured the HA group. Qualitative MRI analysis demonstrated significant within-group changes in the HA group, but no significant difference compared to placebo at 8 weeks.