Analysis of regeneration of hyaline cartilage of the knee joint after laser treatment of chondropathy sites of varying degrees

Justification: Treatment of cartilage in the focus of chondropathy during arthroscopic interventions is one of the methods of treatment of gonarthrosis. The laser method of cartilage treatment has an advantage over the rest (cold plasma, mechanical) since it allows you to produce more accurate and less voluminous effects.

Purpose: the aim of this work is to improve the results of treatment of gonarthrosis by including laser treatment of cartilage in the focus of chondropathy in the treatment complex.

Materials and methods: 35 patients with local cartilage injuries of the knee joint were treated. Patients of the main group (20 people) underwent arthroscopic treatment of foci of chondropathy using the laser method, patients of the comparison group (15 people) – using mechanical and cold plasma techniques. The initial examination was performed before the operation. Repeated examination 3 and 6 months after the operation. The examination included a clinical examination by an orthopedic surgeon, an MRI of the knee joint and a questionnaire on the VAS, LFI, and WOMAC scales.

Results: All patients noted positive dynamics, which was reflected in increased tolerance to physiological and athletic loads, as well as in the average values of the evaluation scales. However, in the main group, the indicators of the scales changed more significantly than in the comparison group. Also, in patients of the main group, there was a partial restoration of cartilage thickness in the focus of chondropathy and a decrease in the depth of damage to the subchondral bone, which was not observed in patients of the comparison group.

Conclusion: Arthroscopic laser treatment of foci of chondropathy reduces the risks of progression of osteoarthritis, which makes it the method of choice in the treatment of local chondropathy, as having high efficiency in stimulating the regeneration of cartilage tissue.

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