No improvement in rotator cuff tendon healing seen after injection of autologous conditioned plasma

Issue: June 2014

AMSTERDAM — Although a few studies in the literature show promising results with injection of autologous conditioned plasma or platelet rich plasma during surgery to repair rotator cuff tears, a study by French investigators showed no difference in tendon healing between tendons injected with the plasma-based substance and those not injected.

Twenty men and 24 women underwent arthroscopic rotator cuff repair surgery as part of the prospective nonrandomized comparative study performed in 2010 that was the doctoral thesis work of Mathieu Ferrand, MD.

Mathieu Ferrand

Ferrand presented the results at the European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress, here. Overall, 20 patients received a single autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) injection at the end of the procedure and 23 patients did not.

“We could not find any significant difference in the group with and without injection. The quality of the healing was similar assessed by Sugaya index and finally, the only statistical result was age [differences],” Ferrand said.

Similar clinical results were seen in the study. “We had no difference on postoperative VAS and postoperative Constant score,” he said.

Ferrand attributed these outcomes to the fact the study was insufficiently powered. “The use of ACP in the study was probably not a good one with a single injection at the end of the procedure,” Ferrand said. However, he noted there were no complications with any of the procedures due to the ACP. – by Susan M. Rapp

Reference:

Ferrand M. Paper #FP04-1839. Presented at: European Society of Sports Traumatology, Knee Surgery and Arthroscopy Congress; May 14-17, 2014; Amsterdam.

Disclosure: Ferrand has no relevant financial disclosures.