Isolated Meniscus Tears in Adolescent Patients Treated with Platelet-Rich Plasma Intra-articular Injections: 3-Month Clinical Outcome

Abstract

Objectives. Meniscus repair is a challenge for a practitioner, as an injured meniscus can lead to osteoarthritic joint changes with a greatly disabling outcome. Platelet-rich plasma has been regarded as a promising therapy to help induce healing. The purpose of the study is to clinically assess the effectiveness of PRP treatment in adolescents with meniscal lesions. Methods. This retrospective study analyzed 30 patients with meniscal tears, aged 12 to 17 years, who had documented MRI meniscal lesion and persistent knee pain. In order to evaluate the outcome, the Lysholm knee scoring scale and numerical rating scale were used before injection and 3 months after treatment. Results. Patients had a mean age of 13.93 years, 70% girls and 30% boys. The most affected was the medial meniscus. The mean value before injection on the numerical rating scale (NRS) of pain was 7.73, after the treatment being of 2.0. After treatment, 76.7% of the patients had “excellent” and “good” outcomes, while before injection, just 3% of the patients had a “good” score. Conclusions. Platelet-rich plasma treatment can be effective in improving the clinical outcomes of adolescent patients with meniscus tears, for whom conservative management and physical therapy have failed to achieve pain relief.

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) augmentation does not result in more favourable outcomes in arthroscopic meniscal repair: a meta-analysis

“…In vitro studies demonstrated the antinociceptive and proliferative properties of PRP, which increased extracellular matrix production and meniscal tissue regeneration [ 50 , 53 ]. Furthermore, PRP improved meniscal cell viability in animal studies, increasing meniscal compressive strength through the overexpression of proteoglycans [ 54 – 56 ]. The current evidence of PRP augmentation for arthroscopic meniscal repair is controversial.…”

Efficiency of platelet‑rich plasma therapy for healing sports injuries in young athletes

“…In terms of meniscal healing, numerous studies ( 14-16 ) have acknowledged that PRP injections could provide an improved clinical outcome in cases where the conservative approach was unsuccessful. Although encouraging, the existing results encounter the limitations of small study groups, the biased, subjective perception of pain from patients, or lack of post-procedure MRI studies, which could support the clinical findings.…”

“…Recently, PRP has become a popular choice for soft tissue repair, for example, in aesthetic medicine ( 13 ). In terms of orthopedics and sports medicine, it has shown promising results on pain relief in both in vivo and in vitro models ( 8 , 14-16 ).…”

A Prospective Cohort Study on Quality of Life among the Pediatric Population after Surgery for Recurrent Patellar Dislocation

“…Osteochondral fractures are an infrequent accompanying injury which can be successfully managed with the Steadman technique [7]. Some patients may benefit from platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections in order to reduce the pain caused by injury to other structures of the knee such as the meniscus [8].…”

“…Conservative treatment usually consists of cast or splint immobilization, resulting in longer rehabilitation periods as well as a recurrence rate of up to 44% [6,8]. Surgical treatment is the next recommended step if conservative management fails to improve the symptoms significantly.…”