Platelet-rich plasma can repair cartilage damage

Platelet-rich plasma

BALTIMORE—Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy is a safe and effective option for treating cartilage tears in athletes, according to research presented at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting.

A randomized study revealed no significant difference in efficacy between PRP and viscosupplementation, a more common hyaluronic acid-based treatment for cartilage damage.

In addition, PRP therapy did not elicit complications such as deep vein thrombosis, infection, or fever.

“Using PRP therapy to repair cartilage is still relatively experimental, but studies like this show it’s not only safe but also offers a significant improvement in function and quality of life for patients,” said investigator Elizaveta Kon, MD, of the Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute in Bologna, Italy.

Dr Kon and her colleagues enrolled 180 patients in a blind, randomized study. Patients had a history of chronic pain or swelling of the knee and imaging that showed degenerative changes of the joint.

All of the patients underwent blood harvesting and were then randomized to receive either PRP or viscosupplementation. Patients received a cycle of 3 weekly injections.

The researchers evaluated patients at baseline and at 2 months, 6 months, and 12 months after treatment. A total of 109 patients were evaluable for 12 months of follow-up.

Both treatment groups demonstrated significant improvement based on higher post-treatment International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores, which measure pain and basic function. Scores did not differ significantly between the treatment groups, although all 4 patients who failed treatment were in the viscosupplementation group.

In the PRP group, IKDC scores were: 50.24 +/-15.69 at baseline, 62.8 +/-17.63 at 2 months, 64.27 +/-16.35 at 6 months, and 64.86 +/-16.83 at 12 months. In the viscosupplementation group, IKDC scores were 47.38 +/-14.02 at baseline, 61.43 +/-16.17 at 2 months, 61.09 +/-18.24 at 6 months, and 61.68 +/-19.01 at 12 months.

The researchers did not observe any major adverse events, such as infection, marked muscle atrophy, deep vein thrombosis, fever, hematoma, tissue hypertrophy, or adhesion formation in any of the study subjects.

Some patients did experience minor events, including swelling or pain. And both of these events were more pronounced in patients who received PRP, but the effects did not last more than a few days.

“As athletic participation has grown, new problems like cartilage lesions, or tears, continue to emerge,” Dr Kon said. “Finding the right approach to treatment is difficult, but PRP has emerged as a viable option, according to our research.”

Dr Kon and her colleagues presented this research at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine’s Annual Meeting, which took place July 12-15.

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