The Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma Augmentation in Meniscus Repair Results in a Lower Failure Rate than in the Control Group: A Systematic Review From Meta-analysis

Abstract

Purpose

To investigate the efficacy of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as an augmentation in meniscus repair.

Methods

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Medline (via EBSCO), ProQuest, and ScienceDirect from January to February 2023 was conducted using the terms “meniscus repair,” “PRP,” and “meniscus tear.” Meta-analyses that investigated the rate of failure after meniscus repair were included. Studies before 2003, not in English, associated procedures during surgery, and animal studies were excluded. The included studies underwent quality appraisal and risk of bias assessment. Data were extracted from each study‘s text, figures, tables, and associated supplementary files and then analyzed qualitatively.

Results

The failure rate is lower in the PRP augmentation group compared with the group without augmentation, with a mean difference of 0.42, 0.50, and 0.43. Visual analog scale score was also found to be significantly lower in the treatment group, with a mean difference of 0.40, 0.76, and 6.69. However, only mean differences in Lysholm score in one of the included studies were found significant regarding functional outcomes, which can be found in the Xie et al. study with a mean difference of 3.06.

Conclusions

In this study, we found that meniscal repairs augmented with PRP have a lower failure rate.

Level of Evidence

Level IV, systematic review of Level III-IV studies.