Effectiveness and safety of intra-articular interventions for knee and hip osteoarthritis based on large randomized trials: A systematic review and network meta-analysis

To quantify the effectiveness and safety of intra-articular interventions for knee and hip osteoarthritis (OA) through a systematic review and Bayesian random-effects network meta-analysis. We searched CENTRAL and regulatory agency websites (inception-2023) for large, English-language, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) (≥100 patients/group) examining any intra-articular intervention. Primary outcome: pain intensity. Secondary outcomes: physical function and safety outcomes. Pain and function outcomes were analyzed at 2, 6, 12, 24, and 52 weeks post-randomization, and presented as standardized mean differences (SMDs) (95% credible intervals, 95% CrI). The prespecified minimal clinically important between-group difference (MID) was −0.37 SMD. Safety outcomes were presented as odds ratios (OR) (95% CrI). Among 57 RCTs (22,795 participants) examining 18 intra-articular interventions, usual care or placebo, treatment effects were larger in 35 high-risk–of-bias trials than in 22 low/unclear-risk-of-bias trials. In the main analysis (excluding high-risk-of-bias trials), triamcinolone had the highest probabilities of reaching the MID at weeks 2 and 6 (75.3% and 90%, respectively) with corresponding SMDs of −0.48 (95% CrI,−0.85 to −0.10) and −0.53 (95% CrI,−0.79 to −0.27) compared to placebo (1 trial). The complex homeopathic products Tr14/Ze14 showed therapeutic potential at week 6 compared to placebo (SMD:−0.42, 95% CrI,−0.71 to −0.11, 63.5% probability of reaching the MID, 1 trial). Hyaluronic acid had no effect on pain (SMD:-0.04, 95% CrI,−0.19 to 0.11, 11 trials) but a higher risk of dropouts due to adverse events (OR: 2.01, 95% CrI,1.08 to 3.77) and serious adverse events (OR: 1.86, 95% CrI, 1.16 to 3.03) than placebo. Triamcinolone had the highest probabilities to have a treatment effect beyond the MID at weeks 2–6. Large RCTs with lower risk of bias indicate that the effects of 16 intra-articular interventions in knee or hip OA were smaller than the MID, and that most were consistent with placebo effects. Lack of evidence of long-term effectiveness underscores the need for further research beyond 24 weeks.