What Effect Does PRP Therapy Have on Meniscus Repair?
The use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy can reduce the risk of failure after meniscus repair but does not seem to protect patients who undergo concomitant reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL), according to research presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine (AOSSM).
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To find out whether intraoperative administration of PRP affects the risk of meniscus repair failure, researchers from The Ohio State University in Columbus randomized 550 patients into 2 main groups:
- Patients who underwent meniscus repair surgery with PRP (n=203)
- Patients who underwent meniscus repair surgery but did not receive PRP therapy (n=347)
They also evaluated outcomes in patients who did (n=399) and did not (n=151) undergo ACL reconstruction at the same time as meniscus repair.
The researchers found that within 3 years of surgery:
- The meniscus failure rate was higher in patients who did not receive PRP therapy: 17% versus 14.7% (P=0.52).
- PRP administration was associated with a lower risk of meniscus failure only in patients who did not undergo concomitant ACL reconstruction.
- The PRP preparation – GPS III system or 55 Angel system – had no effect on outcomes.
“PRP preparations utilized in the current study had a substantial protective effect on isolated meniscus repair failure risk over 3 years,” said lead author Joshua Scott Everhart, MD. “In the setting of concomitant ACL reconstruction, intraoperative PRP does not reduce meniscus repair failure risk.”
Source
Everhart JS, Flanigan DC, Magnussen RA, Kaeding CC. Platelet-Rich Plasma: Does It Decrease Meniscus Repair Failure Risk? (Paper 01). Presented at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Orthopedic Society of Sports Medicine, July 11-14, 2019, Boston, Massachusetts.