October 4, 1967
Abstract
October 4, 1967 SAGE Publications, Inc.1967DOI: 10.1177/006947706700500120 No.22I ~ CORTICOSTEROIDS .. , . ' ' . Arthropathy Deterioration of human joints following repeated intra-articular injections of hydrocortisone has been reported. However, unequivocal evidence of this effect was lacking since it could be argued that joints so treated were already involved by a pathological process and that any deterioration following such injections might be a part of the natural course of the underlyingdisease process. -Accordingly, experiments were conducted to determine the effects of weekly injections of 1 ml. hydrocortisone ( Hydrocortone-T.B.A.-MS&D ) on the living articular cartilage of the knee joints of adult rabbits. All joints that received two or more injections - showed gross and microscopic abnormalities, the severity of which varied directly with the number of injections. The lesions were characterized by loss of normal luster of the surface of the cartilage, thinning, fissuring, fibrillation of the cartilage, and the presence of cystic lesions containing calcium within the cartilage matrix. Injections of saline and injections of the suspending medium alone produced no lesions in the cartilage. - . ::.. : -- .:' -. - - . - Salter, R. B. et al. (Dept. Surg. , Hosp. for