Aim
Interest in perineural injections of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) has increased in recent years. However, evidence supporting the long-term effectiveness of PRP is lacking.
Therefore, the aim of our cross-sectional cohort study was to investigate the long-term outcomes of PRP injections for CTS.
Methods
81 patients diagnosed with CTS of any grade who received a single PRP injection at least 2 years previously were enrolled .
Through structured telephone interviews, all patients were asked about their post-injection outcomes compared to their pre-injection status.
Symptom relief ≥50%, compared with the pre-injection condition, was considered an effective outcome.
Binary logistic regression was applied to analyze each initial variable as a regressor to determine outcome predictors.
Results
In total, 70% of patients reported positive results ≥2 years after injection.
Shorter duration of symptoms before treatment (odds ratio: 0.991; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.983–0.999; p = 0.023) and lower electrodiagnostic severity of CTS were the main predictors for an effective outcome (mild grade versus severe grade, odds ratio: 17.652; 95% CI 1.43-221.1; p=0.025).
Although there was a trend toward positive results with longer follow-up durations (2 to 3 years vs. 3 to 4 years vs. 4 to 5 years), the difference was not statistically significant.
Conclusion A single perineural injection of PRP has a long-term analgesic effect in CTS, especially in mild to moderate cases. |
