The application of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis: A literature review.

Background: Primary knee osteoarthritis remains a difficult-to-control degenerative disease. With the rise in average life expectancy and the incidence of obesity, osteoarthritis has brought an increasing economic and physical burden on people. This article summarizes the latest understanding of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis, and reviews the economic issues of PRP.

Methods: The literatures in Pubmed, Embase, Cochrane library, Web-science and other databases were searched, and literature inclusion and exclusion criteria were formulated. According to the Cochrane systematic reviewer's manual, the included literatures were grouped, and qualitative descriptions and quantitative meta-analysis were performed. Continuous statistical methods were used to compare the effects and adverse effects of PRP before and after treatment, as well as between PRP and other conservative treatments.

Results: A total of 12 randomized controlled trials were included in this study. A total of 959 KOA patients (1070 knees) were enrolled and followed for 3-12 months. PRP total knee scores were significantly better than baseline at 1, 2, 3, 6 and 12 months after treatment (1 month: SMD = 0.60, P < 0.01; 2 months: SMD = 0.98, P < 0.01; 3 months: SMD = 1.16, P < 0.01; 6 months: SMD = 1.49, P < 0.01; 12 months: SMD = 1.47, P < 0.01). In terms of adverse reactions, PRP did not increase the risk of adverse events compared with HA (OR = 0.96, P = 0.85).

Conclusions: Compared with many other treatment methods, intra-articular injection of PRP has been proven to be safe and effective to improve the quality of life of patients with KOA.