Background: Many rheumatoid arthritis patients with joint pain refuse the indicated synovectomy, joint arthroplasty, or similar surgical procedures, opting instead to receive intra-articular injections of corticosteroid. Methodology: We evaluated the clinical benefit and safety of intra-articular injections of triamcinolone acetonide in 153 (132 females and 21 men) rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist, elbow and shoulder pain by analyzing the number of injections, decrease in pain measured on a visual analog scale (VAS), changes in carpal height ratio (CHR), radio carpal distance ratio (RCDR) and radial rotation angle (RRA) on X-ray imaging, and adverse effects in the subcutaneous tissue and extensor tendons. Results: Over the 8-year study period (average 6 yrs.), the mean numbers of intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections per patient were 3.7 for 180 wrists in 118 patients, 2.2 for 45elbows in 36 patients, 2.8 for 60 shoulders in 44 patients. Mean improvements in VAS pain scores from baseline were as follows: wrist, from 75 to 11 mm; elbow, from 79 to 17mm; shoulder, from 54 to 11mm. The group that received the injections showed no significant changes in CHR or RCDR, whereas RRA changed significantly decrease (P < 0.05). In the group that did not receive intra-articular injections, no significant changes were observed in CHR, RCDR and RRA over a mean follow-up period of 8 years. No abnormalities were observed in subcutaneous tissue. Conclusions: Overall, >90% of the patients of all disease grades responded to an average of 1–4 intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections, which were effective for pain relief in the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints over both the short and long term. Skin atrophy or extensor tendon rupture due to injection did not occur.
Published in | Journal of Surgery (Volume 7, Issue 6) |
DOI | 10.11648/j.js.20190706.14 |
Page(s) | 168-179 |
Creative Commons |
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Copyright |
Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group |
Rheumatoid Arthritis, Triamcinolone Acetonide, Joint Pain, Larsen Scoring System, Biologic
[1] | Larsen A, Dale K, Eek M. Radiographic evaluation of rheumatoid arthritis and related conditions by standard reference films. Acta Radio Diagn. 1977; 18 (49), 481-91. |
[2] | Youm Y, McMurthy RY, Flatt AE, Gillespie TE. Kinematics of the wrist. I. An experimental study of radial-ulnar deviation and flexion-extension. J Bone Joint Surg Am; 1978; 60 (4): 423-31. |
[3] | Akihiro Fukui, Hideki Yamada, Takashi Yoshii. Effect of Intraarticular Triamcinolone Acetonide injection for Wrist Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. J Hand Surg Asian Pac. 2016; 21 (2): 239-45. |
[4] | Chandler GN, Wright V. Deleterious effect of intra-articular hydrocortisone. Lancet. 1958; 2 (7048): 661-3. |
[5] | Salter RB, Gross A, Hall JH. Hydrocortisone arthropathy- an experimental investigation. Can Med Assoc J. 1967; 19; 97 (8): 374-7. |
[6] | Gray RG, Gottlieb NL. Intra-articular corticosteroids. An updated assessment. Clin Orthop Relat Res. 1983; (177): 235-63. |
[7] | Ostergaard M, Halberg P. Intra-articular glucocorticoid injections in joint diseases. Ugeskr Laeger. 1999; 1: 161 (5): 582-6. |
[8] | Furtado RN, Oliveira LM, Natour J. Polyarticular corticosteroid injection versus systemic administration in treatment of rheumatoid arthritis patients: a randomized controlled study, J Rheumatol. 2005; 32 (9): 1691-8. |
[9] | Lopes RV, Furtado RN, Parmigiani L, Rosenfeld A, Fermandes AR, Natour J. Accuracy of intra-articular injections in peripheral joints performed blindly in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2008; 47 (12); 1792-4. |
[10] | Koski JM, Hermunen H. Intra-articular glucocorticoid treatment of the rheumatoid wrist. An ultrasonographic study. Scand J Rheumatol. 2001; 30 (5): 268-70. |
[11] | Haugeberg G, Morton S, Emery P, Conaghan PG. Effect of intra-articular corticosteroid injections and inflammation on periarticular and generalized bone loss in early rheumatoid arthritis. Ann Rheum Dis. 2011; 70 (1): 184-7. |
[12] | Hetland ML, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Junker P, Lottenburger T, Hansen I, Andersen LS, Tarp U, Svendsen A, Pedersen JK, Skjødt H, Lauridsen UB, Ellingsen T, Hansen GV, Lindegaard H, Vestergaard A, Jurik AG, Østergaard M, Hørslev-Petersen K; CIMESTRA study group.. Aggressive combination therapy with intra-articular glucocorticoid injections and conventional disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in early rheumatoid arthritis: second-year clinical and radiographic results from the CIMESTRA study. Ann Rheum Dis. 2008; 67 (6): 815-22. |
[13] | Hetland ML, Østergaard M, Ejbjerg B, Jacobsen S, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Junker P, Lottenburger T, Hansen I, Andersen LS, Tarp U, Svendsen A, Pedersen JK, Skjødt H, Ellingsen T, Lindegaard H, Pødenphant J, Hørslev-Petersen K, CIMESTRA study group. Short- and long-term efficacy of intra-articular injections with betamethasone as part of a treat-to-target strategy in early rheumatoid arthritis: impact of joint area, repeated injections, MRI findings, anti-CCP, IgM-RF and CRP. Ann Rheum Dis. 2012; 71 (6): 851-6. |
[14] | Menon N, Kothari SY, Gogna A, Sharma R. Comparison of intra-articular glucocorticoid injections with DMARDs versus DMARDs alone in rheumatoid arthritis. J Assoc Physicians India. 2014; 62 (8): 673-6. |
[15] | Hammer M, Schwarz T, Ganser G. Intra-articular injection of cortisone. Z Rheumatol. 2015; 74 (9): 774-9. |
[16] | Axelsen MB, Eshed I, Hørslev-Petersen K, Stengaard-Pedersen K, Hetland ML, Møller J, Junker P, Pødenphant J, Schlemmer A, Ellingsen T, Ahlquist P, Lindegaard H, Linauskas A, Dam MY, Hansen I, Horn HC, Ammitzbøll CG, Jørgensen A, Krintel SB, Raun J, Krogh NS, Johansen JS, Østergaard M; OPERA study group. A treat-to-target strategy with methotrexate and intra-articular triamcinolone with or without adalimumab effectively reduces MRI synovitis, osteitis and tenosynovitis and halts structural damage progression in early rheumatoid arthritis: results from the OPERA randomised controlled trial. Ann Rheum. 2015; 74 (5): 867-75. |
[17] | Kanbe K, Chiba J, Inoue Y, Taguchi M, Yabuki A, Simultaneous Treatment with Subcutaneous Injection of Golimumab and Intra-articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide (K-Method) in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis Undergoing Switching of Biologics: Retrospective Case-Control Study. Clin Med Insights Arthritis Musculoskelet Disord. 2016; 4 (9): 45-9. |
[18] | Hørslev-Petersen K, Hetland ML, Ørnbjerg LM, Junker P, Pødenphant J, Ellingsen T, Ahlquist P, Lindegaard H, Linauskas A, Schlemmer A, Dam MY, Hansen I, Lottenburger T, Ammitzbøll CG, Jørgensen A, Krintel SB, Raun J, Johansen JS, Østergaard M, Stengaard-Pedersen K; OPERA Study-Group. Clinical and radiographic outcome of a treat-to-target strategy using methotrexate and intra-articular glucocorticoids with or without adalimumab induction: a 2-year investigator-initiated, double-blinded, randomised, controlled trial (OPERA). Ann Rheum Dis. 2016; 75 (9): 1645-53. |
[19] | Bodick N, Lufkin J, Willwerth C, Kumar A, Bolognese J, Schoonmaker C, Ballal R, Hunter D, Clayman M. An intra-articular extended-release formulation of triamcinolone acetonide prolongs and amplifies analgesic effect in patients with osteoarthritis of the knee: a randomized clinical trial. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2015; 97 (11): 877-88. |
[20] | Kumar A, Bendele AM, Blanks RC, Bodick N. Sustained efficacy of a single intra-articular dose of FX006 in a rat model of repeated localized knee arthritis. Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2015; 23 (1): 151-60. |
[21] | Conaghan PG, Hunter DJ, Cohen SB, Kraus VB Berenbaum F, Lieberman JR, Jones DG, Spitzer A, I Jevsevar DS, Katz NP, Burgess DJ, Lufkin J, Johnson JR, Bodick N; FX006- 2014-008 Participating Investigators. Effects of a Single Intra-Articular Injection of a Microsphere Formulation of Triamcinolone Acetonide on Knee Osteoarthritis Pain: A Double-Blinded, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled, Multinational Study. J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2018; 18; 100 (8): 666-677. |
[22] | Conaghan PG, Cohen SB, Berenbaum F, Lufkin J, Johnson JR, Bodick N: Brief Report: A Phase IIb Trial of a Novel Extended-Release Microsphere Formulation of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Intraarticular Injection in Knee Osteoarthritis. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2018; 70 (2): 204-211. |
[23] | Kraus VB, Conaghan PG, Aazami HA, Mehra P, Kivitz AJ, Lufkin J, Hauben J, Johnson JR, Bodick N.: Synovial and systemic pharmacokinetics (PK) of triamcinolone acetonide (TA) following intra-articular (IA) injection of an extended-release microsphere-based formulation (FX006) or standard crystalline suspension in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). Osteoarthritis Cartilage. 2018; 26 (1): 34-42. |
[24] | Fizgerald BT, Hofmeister EP, Fan RA, Thompson MA. Delayed flexor digitorum superficialis and profundus rupture in a trigger finger after a steroid injection: a case report. J Hand Surg Am; 2005; 30 (3): 479-82. |
APA Style
Akihiro Fukui, Takashi Yoshii, Hideki Yamada. (2019). Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Retrospective Study. Journal of Surgery, 7(6), 168-179. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20190706.14
ACS Style
Akihiro Fukui; Takashi Yoshii; Hideki Yamada. Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Retrospective Study. J. Surg. 2019, 7(6), 168-179. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20190706.14
AMA Style
Akihiro Fukui, Takashi Yoshii, Hideki Yamada. Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Retrospective Study. J Surg. 2019;7(6):168-179. doi: 10.11648/j.js.20190706.14
@article{10.11648/j.js.20190706.14, author = {Akihiro Fukui and Takashi Yoshii and Hideki Yamada}, title = {Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Retrospective Study}, journal = {Journal of Surgery}, volume = {7}, number = {6}, pages = {168-179}, doi = {10.11648/j.js.20190706.14}, url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20190706.14}, eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.js.20190706.14}, abstract = {Background: Many rheumatoid arthritis patients with joint pain refuse the indicated synovectomy, joint arthroplasty, or similar surgical procedures, opting instead to receive intra-articular injections of corticosteroid. Methodology: We evaluated the clinical benefit and safety of intra-articular injections of triamcinolone acetonide in 153 (132 females and 21 men) rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist, elbow and shoulder pain by analyzing the number of injections, decrease in pain measured on a visual analog scale (VAS), changes in carpal height ratio (CHR), radio carpal distance ratio (RCDR) and radial rotation angle (RRA) on X-ray imaging, and adverse effects in the subcutaneous tissue and extensor tendons. Results: Over the 8-year study period (average 6 yrs.), the mean numbers of intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections per patient were 3.7 for 180 wrists in 118 patients, 2.2 for 45elbows in 36 patients, 2.8 for 60 shoulders in 44 patients. Mean improvements in VAS pain scores from baseline were as follows: wrist, from 75 to 11 mm; elbow, from 79 to 17mm; shoulder, from 54 to 11mm. The group that received the injections showed no significant changes in CHR or RCDR, whereas RRA changed significantly decrease (P 90% of the patients of all disease grades responded to an average of 1–4 intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections, which were effective for pain relief in the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints over both the short and long term. Skin atrophy or extensor tendon rupture due to injection did not occur.}, year = {2019} }
TY - JOUR T1 - Effect of Intra-Articular Injection of Triamcinolone Acetonide for Wrist, Elbow and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis: Retrospective Study AU - Akihiro Fukui AU - Takashi Yoshii AU - Hideki Yamada Y1 - 2019/11/08 PY - 2019 N1 - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20190706.14 DO - 10.11648/j.js.20190706.14 T2 - Journal of Surgery JF - Journal of Surgery JO - Journal of Surgery SP - 168 EP - 179 PB - Science Publishing Group SN - 2330-0930 UR - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.js.20190706.14 AB - Background: Many rheumatoid arthritis patients with joint pain refuse the indicated synovectomy, joint arthroplasty, or similar surgical procedures, opting instead to receive intra-articular injections of corticosteroid. Methodology: We evaluated the clinical benefit and safety of intra-articular injections of triamcinolone acetonide in 153 (132 females and 21 men) rheumatoid arthritis patients with wrist, elbow and shoulder pain by analyzing the number of injections, decrease in pain measured on a visual analog scale (VAS), changes in carpal height ratio (CHR), radio carpal distance ratio (RCDR) and radial rotation angle (RRA) on X-ray imaging, and adverse effects in the subcutaneous tissue and extensor tendons. Results: Over the 8-year study period (average 6 yrs.), the mean numbers of intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections per patient were 3.7 for 180 wrists in 118 patients, 2.2 for 45elbows in 36 patients, 2.8 for 60 shoulders in 44 patients. Mean improvements in VAS pain scores from baseline were as follows: wrist, from 75 to 11 mm; elbow, from 79 to 17mm; shoulder, from 54 to 11mm. The group that received the injections showed no significant changes in CHR or RCDR, whereas RRA changed significantly decrease (P 90% of the patients of all disease grades responded to an average of 1–4 intra-articular triamcinolone acetonide injections, which were effective for pain relief in the wrist, elbow and shoulder joints over both the short and long term. Skin atrophy or extensor tendon rupture due to injection did not occur. VL - 7 IS - 6 ER -