Treatment effects of platelet-rich plasma combined with arthroscopic microfracture for knee cartilage injury.

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the clinical effects of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) combined with arthroscopic microfracture (MF) in patients with knee cartilage injury.

METHODS

Eighty cases of knee cartilage injury treated in Lu'an Hospital of PKU HealthCare during July 2019 and July 2021 were selected for this study. Patients were divided into a control group (CG, treated with MF alone, n=36) and an observation group (OG, treated with MG+PRP, n=44) based on their intervention regimen. Outcomes were compared between the two groups, including Hospital for Special Surgery (HSS) score, Tegner Activity Scale (TAS) score, Berg Balance Scale (BBS) score (joint balance function), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) score, and Short-Form 36 Item Health Survey (SF-36) score, as well as levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β, and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-13. Furthermore, a binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify the factors influencing treatment efficacy in patients with knee cartilage injuries.

RESULTS

The overall response rate was significantly higher in the OG than in the CG. Factors such as sex, age, disease duration, lesion location, ICRS (International Cartilage Repair Society) grade, and treatment modality did not significantly affect treatment efficacy. The OG showed elevated HSS, TAS, and BBS scores after treatment, compared to baseline and the CG. Additionally, VAS scores and levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and MMP-13 were notably lower compared with the baseline and the CG. In terms of life quality, patients in the OG scored markedly higher in dimensions of vitality, physiological function and social function, compared to both the pre-treatment values and CG.

CONCLUSIONS

PRP combined with MF outperformed MF alone in treating knee cartilage injury, which greatly improves patients' knee joint function and balance function, reduces pain, inhibits inflammation in the joint cavity, and enhances overall quality of life, with a favorable safety profile.