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The Role of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Cartilage Repair

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Cartilage

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Abstract

The use of biological agents to positively modulate articular homeostasis and provide a stimulus to tissue healing is a growing field in orthopedics. Among the available strategies, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), an autologous blood-derived concentrate rich in growth factors, is currently the most exploited biological approach for conservative management (simple intra-articular injections) and as an augmentation during surgical procedures. It has been applied both to treat osteoarthritis and chondral/osteochondral lesions in different joints, with the primary aim of providing symptomatic relief and functional recovery, and also to induce a positive modulation of the entire articular microenvironment. In this chapter, we analyze the clinical evidence available on the role of PRP to treat cartilage pathology, focusing in particular on the data coming from randomized controlled trials.

PRP is a novel technology, and, based on the available evidence, there is an overall support on the safety of this biological approach but still no conclusive evidence about its real efficacy in the management of cartilage pathology, especially when applied during surgical procedures. Looking at conservative application, PRP proved to be better than placebo but not clearly superior to more traditional approaches such as viscosupplementation.

The improvement in this field will pass through the understanding of the interaction dynamics between PRP and the etiopathogenetic/regenerative cartilage processes, as well as the identification of the best PRP features and application modalities, together with the identification of the patient and lesion type that may benefit from this treatment.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. III Orthopaedic Division, Knee Joint Reconstruction Center, Humanitas Clinical Institute, Rozzano, Milan, Italy

    Elizaveta Kon, Berardo Di Matteo & Maurilio Marcacci

  2. Nano-Biotechnology Lab, Rizzoli Orthopaedic Institute, Bologna, Italy

    Giuseppe Filardo

Authors
  1. Elizaveta Kon
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  2. Giuseppe Filardo
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  3. Berardo Di Matteo
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  4. Maurilio Marcacci
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Berardo Di Matteo .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Orthopädische Klinik für die Universität Regensburg, Universitätsklinikum Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany

    Susanne Grässel

  2. Department of General, Trauma, and Reconstruction Surgery, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany

    Attila Aszódi

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Kon, E., Filardo, G., Di Matteo, B., Marcacci, M. (2017). The Role of Platelet-Rich Plasma in Cartilage Repair. In: Grässel, S., Aszódi, A. (eds) Cartilage. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53316-2_7

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