Therapeutic Research

Abstract

Background and Object：S‒flurbiprofen plaster（SFPP）is a novel non‒steroidal anti‒inflammatory drug（NSAIDs）patch that shows innovative percutaneous absorption. The aim of this study was examined the effect of combination therapy of intra‒articular hyaluronan（HA）injection and S‒flurbiprofen plaster for knee osteoarthritis. Method：Patients were divided three groups such as HA injection, HA injection＋NSAIDs（oral medicine）, and HA injection＋SFPP. HA injection was performed once a week, and NSAIDs and SFPP were used every day for five weeks. Every two weeks, Visual Analog Scale（VAS）and the volume of synovial fluid, which was discharged from knee joint, were examined for each group. Results：VAS and the volume of discharged synovial fluid from knee joints were significantly decreased after five weeks by each treatment group. The percent of reduction of VAS was no changed between HA injection＋NSAIDs and HA injection＋SFPP group. On the contrary, the reduction rate of synovial fluid was significantly higher in HA injection＋SFPP group than HA injection＋NSAIDs group. Conclusion：The combination therapy of intra‒articular hyaluronan injection and S‒flurbiprofen plaster was effective and safety treatment for knee osteoarthritis.