Infrapatellar Fat Pad Glucocorticoid Injection in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial
Primary result · Change in knee pain (VAS)Result — go to the resultBetween-group difference −7.9 mm 95% CI −19.7 to 4.0Authors' conclusion
In this randomized clinical trial, glucocorticoid injections into the IPFP did not effectively alleviate knee pain or reduce effusion synovitis volume in inflammatory knee OA.
Study context
- Population
- Patients aged 45 years and older with inflammatory knee osteoarthritis (OA), 4 centres in China, enrolled April 2022 to June 2023all completed
- Participants
- 60 patients
- Comparison
- GC injection into the infrapatellar fat pad (IPFP) vs saline injection into the IPFP, both with hyaluronic acid as background treatment
- Treatmentn = 30
- Placebon = 30reference
- Primary endpoint
- Co-primary: change in knee pain (visual analog scale (VAS)) and effusion synovitis volume (MRI)
- Follow-up
- 12 weeks
Methodological detailsdouble-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre (4 centres), US-guided
- Double-blind
- Placebo-controlled
- Multicentre (4 centres)
- US-guided
Primary result
Change in knee pain (VAS)
Between-group difference
−7.9 mm
95% CI −19.7 to 4.0
Change by group
Treatment
−39.3
mm
Placebo
−31.4
mm
Treatmentvs Placebo
between-group difference −7.9 mm (95% CI −19.7 to 4.0)
As reported in the abstract
Secondary outcomes
Points
| Outcome | Treatment | Placebo | Between group difference (points) (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WOMAC pain score, change · 12 weeksPost hoc analysis | −113.0 | −66.8 | −46.2 (−90.0 to −2.4) | P = 0.04 | |
| −100−50050Difference, points (linear scale) |
| Outcome | Treatment | Placebo | Between-group difference (95% CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cartilage defect, change · 12 weeksPost hoc analysis | −0.1 | 0.4 | −0.5 (−1.0 to −0.1) | P = 0.03 | |
| −1.5−1−0.500.5Difference (linear scale) |
Co-primary: change in effusion synovitis volume (magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)) · 12 weeks
- No significant between-group difference in effusion volume reduction
Safety
Events
| Outcome | Treatment | Placebo |
|---|---|---|
| Adverse reactions | 1 | 1 |
- Adverse reactions: 1 participant per group, each with 1 adverse reaction
Parts of this Brief are withheld: the automatic checks could not confirm them against the abstract.
Original publication
Infrapatellar Fat Pad Glucocorticoid Injection in Knee Osteoarthritis: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. Published 2 January 2026. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →