Leucocyte Rich Platelet-Rich Plasma For The Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis:A Retrospective Study of Clinical Outcomes and Safety

Osteoarthritis involving the knee joint is one of the most prevalent degenerative joint disorder which is associated with chronic pain, functional impairment, and reduced quality of life.. Although the traditional conservative therapy which includes physiotherapy, exercises and analgesics has been observed to offer long term relief on the symptoms, the conservative interventional management lacks clear guidelines and evidence. LR-PRP shows a good promising outcome in treating knee osteoarthritis as it contains growth factors released by platelets like Platelet derived Growth Factor(PDGF),Transforming Growth Factor(TGF beta) etc. It was proposed that a retrospective observational study would aim to establish the clinical applicability, as well as safety of PRP injections in mild and moderate osteoarthritis of knee(Kellgren-Lawrence grade I, grade II and grade III). Medical records on eligible patients (age 40 years and above) with primary knee osteoarthritis were reviewed to have been receiving 3 doses of LR-PRP injections at 0, 2 and 4 weeks. It included the assessment of clinical outcomes in terms of changes in the magnitude of pain through Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and the functional status of the patients through Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) at baseline, 6 weeks,6 months and 1 year post last dose of LR-PRP. The outcomes were also further assessed in terms of the severity of radiographs according to the Kellgren-Lawrence grading system done initially on 1st Outdoor visit followed by 6 months and 1 year post last LR-PRP dose . The determination of safeness was made based on complications, as recorded following LR-PRP injections. Comparison of the baseline and post treatment results were statistically compared by using appropriate paired tests and with significance level of p < 0.05. Hopefully, the study will indicate that LR-PRP injection causes a significant shift in the pain management and functional score and positive safety profile particularly in patients with osteoarthritis at an early-stage. One can use these findings to state that LR-PRP is a safe and effective intervention in knee osteoarthritis in clinical practice.