Acute Synovial Inflammation is Associated with Increased Intra-Articular Fracture Severity in the Mouse Knee

INTRODUCTION: Post-traumatic arthritis (PTA) is a frequent cause of disability and occurs most commonly and predictably after articular fracture [1-2]. Importantly, more severe fractures, characterized by greater displacement of the articular surface and greater degree of comminution, have a worse prognosis [3]. Thus energy of injury and subsequent intra-articular fracture severity may play a fundamental role in the pathologic progression of PTA and also serve as an important prognostic indicator for clinical outcomes [3-4]. The effect of articular fracture on synovial inflammation remains unknown, although synovial pathology is critical in the development of various forms of arthritis [5-6]. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of increasing fracture severity on acute joint pathology in a novel murine model of intra-articular fracture. We hypothesized that increased energy of fracture would increase liberated cortical bone surface area and would be associated with acute increases in synovial pathology.