Efficacy of platelet-rich plasma treatment in a young athlete with osgood-schlatter disease and patellar tendinopathy, suffering from familiar mediterranean fever: A case report

Background: Osgood-Schlatter Disease (OSD) is one of the most common causes of anterior knee pain in children and adolescents. It is a condition with a tendency to self-resolve, and as a result, treatment is symptomatic. In the few resistant and persistent cases, surgical treatment is opted for. Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) is a condition due to a genetic mutation that predisposes to the risk of complicated enthesitis. Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) is a type of regenerative medicine based on the injection of autologous growth factors capable of regenerating injured tissues. Methods: A 14-years old patient with FMF, left-dominant OSD and a left therapy resistant patellar tendon enthesitis was recruited. Knee pain and function were assessed with Visual Analogic Scale (VAS), Western Ontario and McMaster University (WOMAC) and knee ultrasound evaluation. The patient was evaluated at T0, at the end of the PRP Treatment (T1) and two months after the end of the Treatment (T2). Moreover, a knee MRI was collected at T0 and T2. Results: At T1 and still at T2, the VAS and WOMAC scales showed a statistically significant decrease compared with the mean value at T0 and the sonographic images showed a complete resolution of the signs of disease. Conclusion: PRP has showed to be an effective and safe method in OSD treatment in a 14-years-old athlete with a concomitant patellar tendon enthesitis and FMF. The treatment enabled the 14-year-old athlete to return to competitive basketball and avoid surgery, completely resolving his symptoms.