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This office tracked the clinical results of 73 patients
who received sodium hyaluronate for their knees, as well as
two ankle patients and one elbow patient. A questionnaire
designed to evaluate six areas of function-relief of pain,
stiffness, walking tolerance, pain while negotiating stairs,
swelling, night symptoms--was mailed to patients who had
received the series of five sodium hyaluronate injections.
Ninety-five percent of the questionnaires were completed and
returned. We found that injectible sodium hyaluronate is a
viable treatment option for properly selected patients,
namely those with mild to moderate osteoarthritis of the
knee. We found that it relieved pain and stiffness in most
patients. The majority of patients were willing to repeat
the treatment if necessary. Sodium hyaluronate allows the
physician to relieve patient pain in early stages of the
disease and to manage the patient comfortably until surgery
is a viable option. With the appropriate precertification
and billing protocol, reimbursement should not be an
obstacle in using this product.
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