A Systematic Review on the Efficacy and Safety of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Management of Achilles Tendon Rupture.

Abstract

<h4>Background</h4>The Achilles tendon is the most robust tendon in the human body; yet ruptures of the Achilles tendon are prevalent. Their prevalence is greatest among middle-aged individuals, perhaps due to the increased participation of this demographic in sports. There is a huge controversy regarding the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and whether it is associated with improvement in outcomes or not; therefore, I conducted the current systematic review to investigate the evidence from published articles assessing the effectiveness of PRP in patients with Achilles tendon ruptures.<h4>Methods</h4>This systematic review and meta-analysis was performed by searching for all eligible publications on PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus from their creation to November 2024. A search strategy based on three primary keywords and their corresponding Medical Subject Headings (MESH) terms: "Platelet-rich plasma" AND "Achilles tendon" AND "Rupture." I systematically reviewed the included articles and a narrative synthesis of data was conducted to present the efficacy and safety parameters in addition to a summary of findings of the included studies.<h4>Results</h4>After screening, eight articles were included in the present systematic review. The studies provide a range of findings on the effectiveness of PRP in the treatment of Achilles tendon ruptures, with most research suggesting limited clinical benefit. In contrast, Zou et al. offered a differing perspective, suggesting that PRP may serve as a biological augmentation in surgical repair, potentially improving short- and mid-term outcomes. Overall, while some studies suggest possible short-term benefits, the majority do not support PRP as a valuable addition to Achilles tendon rupture treatment protocols.<h4>Conclusion</h4>From the systematic synthesis of the included studies, I observed controversial findings regarding the efficacy of PRP in the management of Achilles tendon ruptures with more data supporting no benefit. However, comprehensive data and strong evidence are still lacking to depend on in the use of PRP and its different types and constituents in the treatment process of Achilles tendon ruptures. This shows the importance of continued research to fill the gap in this area.