Study design
infectious, KOA
OSTEOPHYTES, SCLEROSIS, OSTEOARTHRITIS, INFLAMMATORY JOINT DISEASE, DEL
Between January 2021 and April 2022, 51 patients undergoing intra-articular injection of BMAC and 51 patients undergoing intra-articular injection of ADSCs were prospectively recruited. The present study followed the principles of express in the Declaration of Helsinki and received ethic approval by the Ethic Committee of the University of Salerno (n.90578 del 19/12/2020). All patients signed written consent to participate to the study. The patients’ age, sex, body mass index (BMI), previous surgery on the affected knee, and medical comorbidities were recorded at pre-operative assessment. Selection criteria were clinical findings of KOA with radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease on standing anteroposterior and lateral radiographies. Exclusion criteria were age over 75 years, Kellgren-Lawrence grade 0 and 1, body mass index < 18 or ≥ 35, patients with a severe (> 10°) varus or valgus deformity, concomitant involvement of ligaments and/or menisci, and infectious or inflammatory joint disease. Patients who received both knee arthroscopy and BMAC or ADSCs at the same time were excluded. The Kellgren and Lawrence (K–L) classification was used to grade the severity of osteoarthritis: grade 0 is absence of radiographic signs of osteoarthritis; grade 1 is characterized by doubtful joint space narrowing and possible osteophytic lipping; in grade 2, there are definite osteophytes and possible narrowing of joint space; grade 3 is defined by moderate multiple osteophytes, definite narrowing of joint space and some sclerosis and possible deformity of bone ends; grade 4 is a severe condition with large osteophytes, marked joint space narrowing, severe sclerosis, and definite deformity of bone ends [