Velasquez Garcia A, Ingala Martini L, Franco Abache A, Abdo G. Role of platelet-rich plasma in the treatment of rotator cuff tendinopathy. World J Orthop 2023; 14(7): 505-515 [PMID: 37485430 DOI: 10.5312/wjo.v14.i7.505]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Ausberto Velasquez Garcia, MD, Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Clínica Universidad de los Andes, Av. Plaza 2501, Las Condes, Santiago 7620157, Chile. ausbertovelasquez@hotmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Orthopedics
Article-Type of This Article
Minireviews
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Ausberto Velasquez Garcia, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Clínica Universidad de los Andes, Santiago 7620157, Chile
Liborio Ingala Martini, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital IVSS Dr. Luis Ortega, Porlamar 6301, Venezuela
Liborio Ingala Martini, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital Clinicas del Este, Los Robles 6301, Venezuela
Andres Franco Abache, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Hospital de Especialidades Guayaquil MSP, Guayaquil 090101, Ecuador
Glen Abdo, Department of Graduate Medical Education, Internal Medicine Residence Program, New York Medical College at St. Mary’s and St. Clare’s, Passaic, NJ 07055, United States
Author contributions: Velasquez Garcia A conducted the literature review and drafted the manuscript; Ingala Martini L and Franco Abache A contributed equally to this work, designed the research study and provided critical feedback on the manuscript and contributed to the interpretation of the literature; Abdo G provided critical feedback on the manuscript and assisted with editing and formatting of the final version; and all authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Ausberto Velasquez Garcia, MD, Surgeon, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Clínica Universidad de los Andes, Av. Plaza 2501, Las Condes, Santiago 7620157, Chile. ausbertovelasquez@hotmail.com
Received: January 31, 2023 Peer-review started: January 31, 2023 First decision: March 28, 2023 Revised: April 11, 2023 Accepted: May 15, 2023 Article in press: May 15, 2023 Published online: July 18, 2023 Processing time: 167 Days and 21.1 Hours
Abstract
Shoulder pain is a common musculoskeletal complaint, and rotator cuff (RC) pathologies are one of the main causes. The RC undergoes various tendinopathic and avascular changes during the aging process. Other degenerative changes affecting its healing potential make it an appealing target for biological agents. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has demonstrated the potential to deliver a high concentration of several growth factors and anti-inflammatory mediators, and its clinical use is mainly supported by experiments that demonstrated its positive effect on muscle, ligaments, and tendinous cells. This review aimed to specify the role of PRP and its future applications in RC tendinopathies based on the current clinical evidence. Due to the different characteristics and conflicting outcomes, clinicians should use PRP with moderate expectations until more consistent evidence is available. However, it is reasonable to consider PRP in patients with contraindications to corticosteroid injections or those with risk factors for inadequate healing. Its autologous origin makes it a safe treatment, and its characteristics make it a promising option for treating RC tendinopathy, but the efficacy has yet to be established.
Core Tip: Platelet-rich plasma may be a promising treatment option for rotator cuff tendinopathy, but more consistent evidence is needed to establish its effectiveness. Therefore, clinicians should approach its use with moderate expectations and consider it a potential treatment option for patients who cannot receive corticosteroid injections or have risk factors for poor healing.
