A Greater Platelet Dose May Yield Better Clinical Outcomes for Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Purpose: To determine whether the platelet dose administered during a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection for knee osteoarthritis (OA) affects clinical outcomes.

Methods: A systematic review was performed by searching PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Embase for randomized controlled trials with at least 1 study arm using PRP for knee OA. Only studies that provided a platelet count, concentration, or dose with a minimum of 6-month outcome scores were included. Studies in which the PRP group had statistically significant positive outcomes were separated from those without statistical significance. The average platelet doses for studies with positive outcomes in the PRP group were compared with those without positive outcomes.

Results: After exclusion criteria were applied, 29 studies were analyzed. Of the 29, there were 31 arms that used PRP as a treatment method, of which 28 had statistically significant positive outcomes at 6 months compared with the control group. The mean platelet dose in the 28 with a positive outcome was 5,500 ± 474 × 10⁶, whereas the 3 that had no positive difference had a mean platelet dose of 2,302 ± 437 × 10⁶ (P < .01). There were 18 studies with 12-month outcomes, with 16 of 18 having positive outcomes. The positive studies had an average platelet dose of 5,464 ± 511, whereas the studies that had no statistical difference had an average platelet dose of 2,253 ± 753 × 10⁶ (P < .05).

Conclusions: Improved clinical outcomes from PRP injections for knee OA may be related to a greater platelet dose.

Level of evidence: Level II, systematic review of Level I and II studies.