Study shows significant pain reduction and improvement in function
Clinical and MRI Outcomes After Platelet-Rich Plasma Treatment for Knee Osteoarthritis
Brian Halpern, MD, Salma Chaudhury, MD, PhD, MRC, Scott A. Rodeo, MD, Catherine Hayter, MD, Eric Bogner, MD, Hollis G. Potter, MD, Joseph Nguyen, MPH
Clin J Sport Med. 2013;23(3):238-239.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate whether platelet-rich plasma therapy for early knee osteoarthritis is associated with good clinical outcomes and a change in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) structural appearances. The design was a prospective cohort study following patients 1 year after platelet-rich plasma therapy for knee osteoarthritis. Twenty-two patients were treated with platelet-rich plasma for early osteoarthritis, confirmed with a baseline MRI. Inclusion criteria were Kellgren grade 0–II with knee pain in patients aged 30 to 70 years. All the patients received a 6-mL platelet rich plasma injection using the Cascade system. Fifteen subjects underwent clinical assessments at baseline, 1 week, and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months, and MRIs at 1 year. Pain scores significantly decreased, whereas functional and clinical scores increased at 6 months and 1 year from baseline. Qualitative MRIs demonstrated no change per compartment in at least 73% of cases at 1 year.
Introduction
A number of approaches to managing early osteoarthritis have failed to reliably alleviate pain, restore normal knee function and anatomy, or to slow the progression of osteoarthritis. Biological therapies for focal knee osteoarthritis, such as platelet-rich plasma, have been proposed to improve clinical and structural outcomes by delivering a high concentration of growth factors that mediate healing and remodeling.[1,2] This study aimed to investigate whether platelet-rich plasma therapy for early knee osteoarthritis is associated with changes in clinical outcomes and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over 1 year.
