The Functional Outcome of Intra-Arterial Platelet Rich Plasma in Non- Surgical Early Osteoarthritis of the Knee

Abstract

Introduction: Knee osteoarthritis (KOA) is a low-grade, functional inflammatory disease that causes functional impairment and dysfunction. Obesity and age are two of the main risk factors, with costs ranging from 1.0% to 2.5% of gross domestic product. KOA was previously thought to be an autoimmune disease; however, the growing body of data shows that two well-connected parts of the synovial joint, the subchondral bone (SB) and the synovial membrane (SM), are directly involved in the degeneration of articular cartilage (AC). Intra-articular delivery is the most common way to get platelet-rich plasma (PRP) into AC, SM, and synovial fluid (SF), and has been shown to be safe and effective in reducing pain and increasing joint function in patients with mild KOA. SB, on the other hand, deals with structural changes in people with severe KOA, including gradual subchondral bone marrow transplantation by fibro neurovascular mesenchymal tissue, bone marrow transplantation, bone marrow lesions (BMLs), osteophytes, sclerosis, and stiffness of SB. Intrusion into PRP is not enough to reach SB in this situation, reducing its effectiveness.

Material and Methods: This is an upcoming study that followed 50 knees for about six months. At one-month intervals, two intra-articular injections were given. Outcome was measured using the WOMAC and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) before and after the second injection, and at 1, 3 and 6 months following the second injection.

Result: All scores improved significantly over time compared to pre-treatment rates (p 0.001). The baseline VAS score was 7.62, which decreased significantly to 3.56 at the end of the study (pain reduction by 48 percent).

Conclusion: PRP injections in the knees help to treat osteoarthrosis of grade I and II. The results of the study showed a significant decrease in symptoms in people aged 40 to 60 years.

Keywords: Osteoarthritis, Intra-articular, PRP, Subchondral Bone and Synovial Membrane