gms | German Medical Science

Objectives: Hematic synovitis is one of the most common complications of hemophilia. It is estimated that 95% of the knees are affected in haemophilic patients. Radioactive synovectomy was proposed by Ahlberg with encouraging results observed with an improvement in 95% of patients treated with this type of procedure.

The aim of this study is to asses the cartilage growth alteration in two months old pigs treated intra articular in their knees.

Methods: Twenty Yorkshire pigs, two months old males, weighting between 35 and 40 kilograms were scheduled for the study. All of them received, under sterile conditions, 2.2 mCi of chromic phosphate 32 macrocolloid (P-32) in their right knees. As control case all of the pigs received, under the same conditions, 1 ml of saline sterile solution in their left knee. There was no evidence of any case of bleeding complications, septic arthritis or skin injuries. Radiographic study of the lower limbs post mortem obtained projections front and lateral was made.

Measurements lines of femur and tibia were made in the front and side x-ray, 12 lines in the femur and 4 lines in the tibia. To describe the quantitative variables was calculated: average, standard deviation, median, minimum and maximum.

Results: No statistical differences between right and left femur lines all lines in front and lateral views were observed. In the case of the tibia only statistically significant difference between left and right tibia to the line extending from the anterior tibial plateau and the center of the distal tibial in the lateral view was found, but in total measurements we will not find relevance since the rest of the lines drawn and measurements no such differences were found.

Conclusion: We have not found abnormalities in the cartilage growth with the use of P32 on the knees of pigs in growing age, so consider it a procedure that could be used in patients presenting open cartilage growth.