Lavado articular en el tratamiento de la artrosis de la rodilla: descripción de una nueva técnica y valoración de la eficacia y tolerancia de la misma

El Lavado Articular (LA) es una medida terapéutica utilizada para el tratamiento de la patología articular, sobre articulaciones accesibles y desarrollada fundamentalmente en la patología de rodilla. El efecto del LA ha sido estudiado en pocas indicaciones concretas: artritis séptica, artritis reumatoide, condrocalcinosis y artrosis. Los objetivos de esta tesis son: 1) Valorar la eficacia del LA en pacientes con patología osteoarticular de rodilla (artrosis, condrocalcinosis y artritis). 2) Comparar la eficacia de dos combinaciones terapéuticas postlavado (Ácido hialurónico y corticoides) frente al LA sólo, en tres situaciones patológicas: Artrosis, Artritis y Condrocalcinosis. 3)Valorar la tolerancia de la técnica y sus complicaciones durante la realización y periódicamente hasta un año después del LA. 4)Cuantificar el coste del procedimiento emplead

Community Acquired Spondylodiscitis caused by Escherichia Coli; Case Report and Literature Review

Vertebral osteomyelitis, or spondylodiscitis, is a rare disease with increasing prevalence in recent years due to a greater number of spinal surgical procedures, nosocomial bacteraemia, an aging population and intravenous drug addiction. Haematogenous infection is the most common cause of spondylodiscitis. We report a 47-year-old man diagnosed with Escherichia coli spondylodiscitis. The patient initially presented with a 4-day history of inflammatory, mechanical pain in the lower back suggesting sciatica. Treatment included NSAIDs and opioids. Two days after discharge from hospital following an admission due to an upper GI bleeding, the back pain intensified, precipitating a new attendance to the emergency department; during which lumbosacral radiography showed marked reduction of L2/L3 intervertebral space. After a new admission to the rheumatology unit due to worsening of symptoms and raised inflammatory markers, an expedited MRI showed loss of intervertebral disc space at L2/L3, with an irregular high intensity area at L2; suggesting a fluid collection extending to adjacent soft tissues. Fluoroscopy-guided core needle bone biopsies were reported positive for Escherichia coli sensitive to ceftriaxone. The patient was treated (received treatment) with a three week course of ceftriaxone following a formal diagnosis of E. coli spondylodiscitis. Follow-up MRI demonstrated complete recovery with the patient able to return (has returned) to normal activity. In this case we highlight the importance of correct and timely diagnosis of spondylodiscitis. Diagnosis of spondylodiscitis is often difficult, delayed or even missed due to the rarity of the disease but can lead to devastating consequences. Therefore a high index of suspicion is needed for prompt diagnosis to ensure improved long-term outcomes

Successful Optimization of Adalimumab Therapy in Refractory Uveitis Due to Behçet's Disease.

To assess efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness of adalimumab (ADA) therapy optimization in a large series of patients with uveitis due to Behçet disease (BD) who achieved remission after the use of this biologic agent. Open-label multicenter study of ADA-treated patients with BD uveitis refractory to conventional immunosuppressants. Sixty-five of 74 patients with uveitis due to BD, who achieved remission after a median ADA duration of 6 (range, 3-12) months. ADA was optimized in 23 (35.4%) of them. This biologic agent was maintained at a dose of 40 mg/subcutaneously/2 weeks in the remaining 42 patients. After remission, based on a shared decision between the patient and the treating physician, ADA was optimized. When agreement between patient and physician was reached, optimization was performed by prolonging the ADA dosing interval progressively. Comparison between optimized and nonoptimized patients was performed. Efficacy, safety, and cost-effectiveness in optimized and nonoptimized groups. To determine efficacy, intraocular inflammation (anterior chamber cells, vitritis, and retinal vasculitis), macular thickness, visual acuity, and the sparing effect of glucocorticoids were assessed. No demographic or ocular differences were found at the time of ADA onset between the optimized and the nonoptimized groups. Most ocular outcomes were similar after a mean ± standard deviation follow-up of 34.7±13.3 and 26±21.3 months in the optimized and nonoptimized groups, respectively. However, relevant adverse effects were only seen in the nonoptimized group (lymphoma, pneumonia, severe local reaction at the injection site, and bacteremia by Escherichia coli, 1 each). Moreover, the mean ADA treatment costs were lower in the optimized group than in the nonoptimized group (6101.25 euros/patient/year vs. 12 339.48; P ADA optimization in BD uveitis refractory to conventional therapy is effective, safe, and cost-effective

Comparative Study of Infliximab Versus Adalimumab in Refractory Uveitis due to Behçet's Disease: National Multicenter Study of 177 Cases.

To compare the efficacy of infliximab (IFX) versus adalimumab (ADA) as a first-line biologic drug over 1 year of treatment in a large series of patients with refractory uveitis due to Behçet's disease (BD). We conducted an open-label multicenter study of IFX versus ADA for BD-related uveitis refractory to conventional nonbiologic treatment. IFX or ADA was chosen as the first-line biologic agent based on physician and patient agreement. Patients received 3-5 mg/kg intravenous IFX at 0, 2, and 6 weeks and every 4-8 weeks thereafter, or 40 mg subcutaneous ADA every other week without a loading dose. Ocular parameters were compared between the 2 groups. The study included 177 patients (316 affected eyes), of whom 103 received IFX and 74 received ADA. There were no significant baseline differences between treatment groups in main demographic features, previous therapy, or ocular sign severity. After 1 year of therapy, we observed an improvement in all ocular parameters in both groups. However, patients receiving ADA had significantly better outcomes in some parameters, including improvement in anterior chamber inflammation (92.31% versus 78.18% for IFX; P = 0.06), improvement in vitritis (93.33% versus 78.95% for IFX; P = 0.04), and best-corrected visual acuity (mean ± SD 0.81 ± 0.26 versus 0.67 ± 0.34 for IFX; P = 0.001). A nonsignificant difference was seen for macular thickness (mean ± SD 250.62 ± 36.85 for ADA versus 264.89 ± 59.74 for IFX; P = 0.15), and improvement in retinal vasculitis was similar between the 2 groups (95% for ADA versus 97% for IFX; P = 0.28). The drug retention rate was higher in the ADA group (95.24% versus 84.95% for IFX; P = 0.042). Although both IFX and ADA are efficacious in refractory BD-related uveitis, ADA appears to be associated with better outcomes than IFX after 1 year of follow-up