Recent breakthroughs in stem cell-based treatments for arthritis may help delay joint replacement for some patients. Farshid Guilak, PhD, described the methods for creating bioartificial cartilage, its implications for inflammation, disease flare and more.
A study found resident memory T cells may mediate inflammatory arthritis and trigger flares in specific joints, suggesting local depletion of these cells could be a therapeutic strategy…
NEW YORK (Reuters Health)—High-intensity statins are associated with a lower risk of joint replacement, new findings show. “Statins at high intensity may reduce the risk of hip and knee replacement. The effect may be RA specific,” Dr. Aliya Sarmanova of the University of Nottingham, U.K., and colleagues write in Rheumatology.1 Statins have anti-inflammatory effects, and…
(Reuters Health)—People who undergo joint surgery, such as joint replacements for arthritis, are more likely to become dependent in the years following surgery if they are obese, researchers say. Further research is needed to know why this happens and how to prevent it, the study team writes in British Journal of Anaesthesia.1 “I think there’s…
When a young patient arrives at a clinic complaining of knee pain with clicking or popping, a meniscal tear is often the culprit. “In young [people], there’s a pretty classic presentation of meniscal tear, with clicking and other mechanical symptoms, because the tear rubs up against different tissues,” says Jeffrey Katz, MD, MSc, a rheumatologist…
An international task force convened by the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis and Osteoarthritis (ESCEO) recommends systematic repeated intra-articular hyaluronic acid (HA) injections as second-line treatment for patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). This is the first time a group of experts has made this recommendation, which is directed toward treatment of…
A 56-year-old African American man presents to the emergency department with polyarthralgias and a fever of 103ºF. One month prior to admission, he presented with right knee pain and swelling. Blood cultures grew S. epidermidis. He was treated for presumed septic arthritis complicated by MSSE bacteremia. He was treated with meropenem and a prolonged course…
In the good old days, physicians routinely made house calls. The decision to visit the literal bedside of a patient was practical: hospital services were primitive and often offered too little benefit to justify an emergency journey by the patient. These physicians carried leather bags, sometimes called Gladstones, that were filled with instruments for eventualities…
Take the challenge. CPT: 20611-RT, J1040, 89060 ICD-10: M17.11 Coding Rationale Keep in mind, no evaluation and management services are billed because there wasn’t a separate and/or significant reason, other than the knee injection, addressed during the visit. Note: Although the injection was performed via ultrasound guidance, CPT code 76942 should not be billed with…
A 66-year-old male patient presents to the office with right knee pain. He was in the office two weeks prior for a follow-up visit of his primary osteoarthritis. He received an injection of hyaluronate sodium in his right knee four months before and states that his knee felt like new. He states that everything was…