Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29264351›Full record

ArticleMuscles, ligaments and tendons journal

Efficacy and safety of hyaluronic acid (500-730kDa) Ultrasound-guided injections on painful tendinopathies: a prospective, open label, clinical study.

Marco Fogli, Nicola Giordan, Gianni Mazzoni

Open access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Muscles, ligaments and tendons journal. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 22 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
22citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

22 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 39 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Updates in ultrasound-guided musculoskeletal interventions.The British journal of radiology · 2026
    Review
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  5. Article
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  9. Achilles Tendinopathy Pathogenesis and Management: A Narrative Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023
    Review
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  12. Article
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  14. Article
  15. Hyaluronic acid injections for chronic tennis elbow.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2022
    Article
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  17. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Marco FogliDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Nicola GiordanClinical Research Department, Fidia Farmaceutici S.p.A., Abano Terme, Padua, Italy.
Gianni MazzoniDepartment of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
Fidia Farmaceutici (Italy) · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTendinopathies are conditions characterized by activity-induced pain, local tenderness and swelling for which a gold standard treatment is not established yet. Hyaluronic Acid (HA) is a key-molecule in several cellular activities and it is normally present in the extra-cellular matrix of tendons and ligaments. Amongst its properties, HA injections may reduce pain and determine disease-modifying effects. This study is an investigator-initiated open-label trial conducted to investigate the efficacy and safety of HA (500-730 kDa) peritendinous injections on pain reduction in patients affected by lateral elbow, Achilles or patellar tendinopathy.

methodsA total of 71 tendons (34 with Achilles tendinopathy, 26 with lateral elbow tendinopathy, 11 with patellar tendinopathy) of 62 patients with painful tendinopathy were treated with a cycle of ultrasound-guided peritendinous injections one injection per week for three consecutive weeks. Efficacy assessments included changes in pain intensity measured by Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at follow-up evaluations were performed 7 (V2), 14 (V3) and 56 days aften first treatment. An Ultrasound (US) assessment was also performed to evaluate changes in tendon thickness and neovascularization. Adverse events were recorded for safety analysis throughout the study. All results were analyzed with descriptive statistics appropriate to the nature of the variables.

resultsSignificant reduction in VAS (p<0.001) from baseline was observed in Achilles (-6.16 ± 0.45 cm), patellar (-6.16 ± 0.72 cm) and lateral elbow (-5.33 ± 0.43 cm) tendinopathies. The sagittal thickness decreased significantly from baseline at each endpoint (V3 day 14 and V4 day 56) in each type of tendinopathy analyzed (p<0.05). Neovascularization decreased for each tendons at V3 and V4, except for patellar tendon at V3 V1 (p=0.125). Nevertheless, reduction at V4 compared to baseline remained significant (p=0.016).

conclusionsUS-guided HA (500-730 kDa) peritendinous injections determine significant pain relief and reduction in tendon thickness and neovascularization in US evaluations. The effect of HA did not show differences regarding the site of affected tendon. The treatment proved to be safe and very well tolerated. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4.

Indexed as

achillescolour power dopplerhyaluronic acidinjectionpatellartendinopathiestennis elbow

Identifiers

PMID29264351
PMCPMC5725189
OpenAlexW2771976823

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.