Theater Session: New Insights in Viscosupplementation Effects on Cartilage Properties Improvement

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Viscosupplementation has been widely used to treat symptomatic osteoarthritis based on the paradigm that intra-articular injection of hyaluronic acid restores the viscoelastic properties of the synovial fluid, resulting in a decrease in the patient’s pain and symptom. Our current study demonstrates that viscosupplementation also allows an improvement in the quality of the cartilage. The penetration of hyaluronic acid appears to be dependent on the molecular weight of the molecule. This new concept might explain the long-term clinical efficacy of hyaluronic acid-based products.