Platelet-rich plasma injection effective for osteoarthritis of the knee

An intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma may be an effective alternative to hyaluronic acid in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, particularly in patients with benign forms of the disease, according to the results published in Arthritis Research [19659002] Therapy .

"Although the relevant literature has moderate applicability and strength of evidence, the current guidelines of the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons neither recommend nor oppose the use of [platelet-rich plasma] in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, " Ren Yizhong MD, of the Second Affiliated Hospital of the Medical University of Inner Mongolia, China, and his colleagues wrote. "However, comparative studies conducted on the use of [platelet-rich plasma] intra-articular injection versus [hyaluronic acid] for mild or moderate knee osteoarthritis showed a more clinical outcome. raised with [platelet-rich plasma] that with the latter. "

If platelet-rich plasma is superior to hyaluronic acid in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, researchers conducted a 2016 systematic review of randomized clinical trials using Cochrane Databases Central Register of Controlled Trials, PubMed and Embase. Focusing on in vivo studies in English, which compared platelet-rich plasma treatments to hyaluronic acid, they used the following key words in their search: "platelet-rich plasma", "PRP", "platelet-rich fibrin" "PRF," platelets "," plasma "," arthritis "," osteoarthritis "," gonarthrosis "and" degeneration. "They also searched for presentations and abstracts from the annual meeting of the IARC. American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, EULAR, the American Academy of the American College of Rheumatology and the Osteoarthritis Research Society International

An intra-articular injection of platelet-rich plasma can be a effective alternative to hyaluronic acid in the treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee, especially in patients forms of the disease, according to the researchers.

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Researchers have identified seven articles representing 908 patients and 908 knees, which met their inclusion criteria. Outcome measures included the efficacy and response to OA treatment at Western Universities and McMaster University, International Knee. Documentation Committee, the Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score, the EuroQol badogue visual scale and the Tegner score

. for the investigators, all studies demonstrated statistically significant improvements in clinical outcomes – including pain, physical function, and rigidity – with the injection of platelet-rich plasma. In addition, with the exception of two studies, almost all showed significant differences between the two treatments regarding the clinical outcome of pain and function

[Platelet-rich plasma] Intra-articular injection of knee can be an effective alternative treatment for osteoarthritis of the knee. , especially in patients with mild knee osteoarthritis, "wrote Yizhong and colleagues. However, some studies have suggested that [platelet-rich plasma] is not more effective than [hyaluronic acid] .A large randomized multicenter trial is needed to better evaluate the efficacy of [platelet-rich plasma] treatment in patients with Osteoarthritis of the knee. "- by Jason Laday

Disclosure: Yizhong does not report any relevant financial disclosure. Please consult the study for the relevant financial disclosures of all other authors.