[Treating knee osteoarthritis by Chinese medicine and its correlation study with CT changes of infrapatellar fat pad].
OBJECTIVE
To observe the efficacy of Jianbu Tongluo Xunzheng Liquid (JTXL) in treating knee osteoarthritis (KOA), and to explore the correlation between changes of infrapatellar fat pad scanned by CT and the efficacy.


METHODS
Totally 105 KOA outpatients were randomly assigned to three groups, i.e., the treatment group, the control group, and the combination group, 35 in each group. Patients in the treatment group were fumigated by JTXL, 30 min each time, once daily, 10 times as a course of treatment, 3 courses in total. Those in the control group received intra-articular injection of Sodium Hyaluronate Injection (SHI), 3 mL each time, once per 6 days, 5 times in total. Those in the combination group were treated by fumigation of JTXL + intra-articular injection of SHI in the same way as the aforesaid two groups. All patients were treated for 30 days. Their clinical efficacy and changes of infrapatellar fat pad scanned by CT were observed, and their correlation was analyzed.


RESULTS
The total effective rate was 88.57% in the combination group, better than that of the control group (74.29%) and the treatment group (80.00%; both P < 0.05). Besides, the score for knee joint functions at Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) was better in the combination group than the other two groups (P < 0.05). The anteroposterior diameter, exterior-interior diameter, the superior-inferior diameter were shortened, and the density decreased in the treatment group and the combination group (P < 0.05). Besides, they were superior to those of the control group (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Changes of infrapatellar fat pad scanned by CT only existed in the combination group and the treatment group, indicating changes of CT scanning was only correlated with effect on changing physicochemical properties of infrapatellar fat pad. Treatment by Chinese medicine could omnipotently and balanced regulate functions and structures of every tissue. Therefore, CT could be taken as a better method for clinical efficacy observation by Chinese medicine.
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou (730020), China.
Lin
L
Wang
Faculty of Integrative Medicine, Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou (730000), China.
En-lai
EL
Dai
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou (730020), China.
Tai-yun
TY
Liu
Department of Rheumatism, The Affiliated Hospital of Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou (730020), China.
Gang
G
Wang
Department of Radiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Gansu College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Lanzhou (730020), China.
Le-nian
LN
Shi
D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020370:Osteoarthritis, Knee / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010329:Patella / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008517:Phytotherapy; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal