The April issue of the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery contains one article related to
shoulder arthritis: Risk Factors for Chondrolysis of the Glenohumeral Joint. This is a
Level II Study of "Three Hundred and Seventy-five Shoulder Arthroscopic Procedures in the Practice of an Individual Community Surgeon".
Chondrolysis is a condition in which the cartilage normally overlying the humeral head and glenoid is 'lysed' or destroyed as shown in the surgical photographs below.
In the series of patients included in this study, each case of documented chondrolysis was associated with the intra-articular post-arthroscopic infusion of a local anesthetic, either Marcaine or Lidocaine. In an analysis of the group of patients with chondrolysis that had received an intra-articular postoperative infusion of a local anesthetic, the risk of chondrolysis was found to be greater for those with one or more suture anchors placed in the glenoid, for younger patients, and for those who had the surgery near the end of the ten-year study period.
The JBJS has provided a
commentary on the importance of this article.
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