Rapid reviews of two health technologies published in Austria in December 2023

In December 2023, the Austrian Institute for HTA (AIHTA) published Rapid reviews of two health technologies.

On December 14, 2023, a Rapid review, “Autologous fat transplantation for osteoarthritis” was published. The evidence suggests that treatment with autologous fat for knee osteoarthritis can reduce pain and improve function, but minimal clinically relevant differences could not be achieved in all studies. There is insufficient evidence for osteoarthritis of the hip, hand, and finger joints. Regarding side effects, no serious events were reported in the intervention group; undesirable side effects include pain at the fat removal site and swelling and pain at the injection site. Currently, there are many questions still unanswered regarding the dose and frequency of use, and numerous clinical studies are ongoing. There is no mention of autologous fat transplantation in current German-language guidelines, but an English-language guideline does not recommend it outside of clinical research.

On December 20, 2023, a Rapid review, “Endovenous laser therapy for varicose veins of the lower extremities” was published. The evidence shows that using endovenous laser therapy in varicose veins generally has comparable effectiveness to that achieved through conventional surgical procedures. There were no significant differences in duration of treatment, return to normal activity, recurrence, or symptom reduction between both treatment options, while evidence suggests that side effects and postoperative complications are less common with endovenous laser therapy. Medical guidelines recommend conventional surgical procedures only in specific anatomical conditions or when endovenous procedures are not available.

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