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. 2018 Jul;9(3):241-247.
doi: 10.1177/1947603517703731. Epub 2017 Apr 20.

A Retrospective Study Assessing Safety and Efficacy of Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation for Knee Chondral Lesions

Monther Gharaibeh  1 , Andras Szomor  1 , Darren B Chen  1 , Samuel J MacDessi  1
Affiliations

A Retrospective Study Assessing Safety and Efficacy of Bipolar Radiofrequency Ablation for Knee Chondral Lesions

Monther Gharaibeh et al. Cartilage. 2018 Jul.

Abstract

Objective: Bipolar radiofrequency (bRF) ablation is gaining popularity as a treatment modality for unstable knee chondral lesions of the knee. Limited reports of osteonecrosis and chondrolysis have been published; however, there is little data examining the safety of this treatment in larger series. This study aims to evaluate the safety and efficacy of bRF in the treatment of chondral lesions encountered during knee arthroscopy.

Design: A retrospective evaluation of adverse outcomes in patients that underwent treatment of chondral lesions using bRF was undertaken. Secondary outcome measures included change in patient reported outcome scores and its correlation to patient demographics and quality of chondral and meniscal lesions using Chondropenia Severity Score.

Results: Only 2.2% and 2.7% of the patients had a postoperative complication or required a reoperation, respectively. None of the complications were directly related to the use of bRF. A statistically significant difference was observed when comparing pre- and postoperative scores in all normalized categories ( P < 0.0001). No statistically significant correlation was found between change in self-reported scores and Chondropenia Severity Score.

Conclusion: Bipolar radiofrequency ablation is a safe modality in treatment of chondral lesions.

Keywords: chondral lesions; chondroplasty; knee arthroscopy; radiofrequency ablation.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Line graph demonstrating the improvement in mean KOOS scores after treatment of chondral lesions using bRF in cases with or without meniscal pathology. KOOS = Knee Osteoarthritis Outcome Score; QOL = quality of life; bRF = bipolar radiofrequency.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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