Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Patients with Knee Replacements

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Development of a non-invasive method to assess fibrosis following total knee replacement.

• IRAS ID

  205812

• Contact name

  Nicholas Kalson

• Sponsor organisation

  The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 0 months, 30 days

• Research summary

  More than 1.5 million total knee replacements (TKR) are performed per year worldwide. A significant proportion (~10%) of knee replacement patients have stiff and painful knees following surgery. The only treatment available for these patients is removal of the scar tissue, which is causing the stiffness. This requires at least one more operation by keyhole surgery or replacement of the artificial joint.\n\nResearch in our laboratory has shown that there is significant tissue remodeling characterised by replacement of adipocytes with dense areas of collagen in the knees of all patients following TKR. However, some patients have excellent knee function, with no movement restriction, whilst other patients have restricted knee motion. Our finding of scarring inside all knees suggests that the quantity and/or anatomical location, rather than the simple presence, of scar tissue results in a restricted range of motion in a subset of TKR patients. \n\nThe primary aim of this study is to test the hypothesis that patients with reduced range of knee motion following total knee replacement have widespread deposition of scar tissue (Disease Group 1) compared to patients with unrestricted knee motion (Control Group 2). We aim to image the scar tissue using MRI and correlate MRI results with findings at surgery, when scar tissue inside the knee can be directly visualised and its location documented by the operating surgeon.\n\nUnderstanding where and how much scar tissue is present in patients with stiff TKRs and developing a non-invasive diagnostic tool for knee fibrosis will have three benefits:\n1.\tIt will allow accurate diagnosis of knee fibrosis pre-operatively \n2.\tIt will allow targeted surgical removal of the diseased tissue by identifying areas of scarring before an operation\n3.\tIt will provide a non-invasive tool for future clinical trials on medications aimed at reducing scarring inside patient’s knees following TKR\n

• REC name

  North West - Greater Manchester South Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  16/NW/0414

• Date of REC Opinion

  23 May 2016

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion