PRP intra-articular injection and viscosupplementation as therapeutic treatments for early osteoarthritis: multicentre retrospective cohort study in 150 patients at 6 months follow up

Objectives: The influence of the growth factors on cartilage repair is not
yet widely studied and its application in clinics is still experimental.
Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP), a blood derived rich in growth factors, is a promising method for treatment of cartilage defects. Aim of this study is to
evaluate and compare the efficacy of PRP and Viscosupplementation (HA)
i.a. injections for treatment of severe chondropathies of the knee.
Methods: The study involved 150 patients affected by chondropathy, early
Osteoarthritis and severe Osteoarthritis. 50 symptomatic patients were
treated with 3 autologous PRP intra-articular injections and evaluated
prospectively. For PRP production 150 ml of venous blood were collected
from each patient and underwent a double centrifugation, increasing
platelet concentration. All patients were clinically evaluated at the
enrolment, at the end of the treatment, at 6 months follow up. The results
obtained were also compared with two homogeneous group of patients
treated in two different centers with HA injections, one group was treated
with injections of High Molecular Weight Hyaluronan and the other group
was treated with Low Molecular Weight Hyaluronan. IKDC and EQ-VAS
scores were used for clinical evaluation and patient satisfaction and
functional status were also recorded.
Results: The comparison between the outcomes of the three groups was
statistically significative (p\0,0005), reporting a superiority of PRP group
at any times of F-up.
Conclusions: Autologous PRP injections demonstrated more and longer
efficacy than HA injections in reducing pain, symptoms and recovering
articular function in patients affected by severe chondropathies of the
knee.