Effectiveness and safety of an ultrasound-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma versus sodium hyaluronate in patients with knee osteoarthritis

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness and safety of ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection versus sodium hyaluronate injection in patients with knee osteoarthritis (KOA). Methods: The clinical data of 92 patients treated at the West China Hospital Sichuan University-Ziyang Hospital between May 2020 and December 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Patients were allocated to PRP group (ultrasound-guided PRP injection) and a hyaluronic acid (HA) group (sodium hyaluronate injection) with each group containing 46 patients. Before and after treatment, the two groups were compared in terms of visual analog scale (VAS) score, Lysholm score, levels of serum inflammatory factors, insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, fibroblast growth factor (FGF)-2 and WOMAC score. Results: After treatment, PRP group exhibited significantly lower pain scores and higher function scores than HA group. Furthermore, PRP group exhibited lower levels of inflammation markers, higher levels of growth factors as well as better treatment efficiency and incidence of adverse reactions when compared with HA group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Ultrasound-guided PRP therapy ameliorates pains and joint functions in KOA patients. The therapeutic effect may be associated with the regulation of cartilage performance and alleviation of inflammatory state. Therefore, PRP injection therapy combined with ultrasound guidance might also have clinical potential for other applications.