| Objective: To observe the clinical efficacy of ultrasound-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma for partial rotator cuff tears. Methods: Totally, 40 patients with partial rotator cuff tears were randomized to platelet-rich plasma group and sodium hyaluronate group, 20 patients in each group. Both groups were given injection once a week for a total of 3 times. The outcome measures included the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), Constant-Murley Score (CMS) and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score (ASES) which were obtained from patients at the base line and 1, 3, 6 months after treatment. At the same time, tear sizes were measured by ultrasound at the base line and 6 months after treatment. Results: The VAS, CMS and ASES had no significant change between the two groups at 1st month after treatment. At 3rd and 6th month after treatment, the VAS scores in the platelet-rich plasma group were lower than those in the sodium hyaluronate group, and CMS and ASES scores in the platelet-rich plasma group were higher than those in the sodium hyaluronate group. At 3rd and 6th month after treatment, the tear sizes in the platelet-rich plasma group were lower than those in the sodium hyaluronate group. At any time of post-treatment follow-up, in the two groups, the VAS scores were lower than those at the base line (P<0.05) and the CMS and ASES scores were higher than those at the base line (P<0.05). Tear sizes in the platelet-rich plasma group were lower than those at the base line (P<0.05), but tear sizes had no significant change in the sodium hyaluronate group. No serious adverse events related to the injection therapy were reported. Conclusions: Ultrasound-guided injection of platelet-rich plasma not only significantly improves shoulder pain and function in patients with partial rotator cuff tear, but also reduces the tear size and promotes regeneration of torn tendon tissue. |
