Microfracture surgery combined with platelet-rich plasma injection in treating osteochondral lesions of talus: A system review and update meta analysis

Abstract

Background: To systematically evaluate the efficacy of arthroscopic microfracture surgery combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in treating osteochondral lesions of talus (OLT).

Method: A computer-based search of the PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library was developed. The search time was dated in December 2022. Randomized controlled trials and prospective case control studies comparing the treatment of OLT with microfracture surgery combined with PRP injection and microfracture surgery alone were included. The quality of the literatures were evaluated. Meta analysis was completed using the data of postoperative pain and function scores of the ankle joint reported in the literature.

Results: Five randomized controlled trials with a total of 198 patients were included. Compared with microfracture surgery alone, meta-analysis showed that the postoperative visual analogue scale (VAS) score for ankle pain was significantly lower (P < 0.001), and the American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society score (AOFAS) was significantly better ( P < 0.001) in the group of microfracture surgery combined with PRP injection. The change of VAS and AOFAS was also significantly better in the group of microfracture surgery combined with PRP injection (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: Arthroscopic microfracture surgery combined with PRP injection in treating OLT can significantly reduce pain and improve ankle function. More long-term follow-up, high-quality studies are needed.

Level of evidence: II.

Keywords: Arthroscopy; Meta-analysis; Microfracture; Osteochondral; Platelet-rich plasma; Talus.