Optimizing the safety of intradiscal platelet-rich plasma: an study with .

The most common risk associated with intradiscal injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is discitis with . It is hypothesized that antimicrobial activity of PRP can be enhanced through inclusion of leukocytes or antibiotics in the injectate. Multiple PRP preparations of varying platelet and leukocyte counts were co-cultured with with or without cefazolin, with viable bacterial colony counts being recovered at 0, 4, 24 and 48 hours post-inoculation. A direct correlation between recovery and granulocyte counts were observed. We observed the greatest antimicrobial activity with the leukocyte-rich, high platelet PRP preparation combined with an antibiotic in the injectate. However, cefazolin did not completely clear the bacteria in this assay.