Long-term follow-up of platelet-rich plasma injections for refractory lateral epicondylitis.

Brkljac, Milos; Conville, James; Sonar, Ulhas; Kumar, Shyam · J Orthop · 2019

case_series · Level IV

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Abstract

Lateral epicondylitis (LE)<sup>1</sup> affects between 1 and 3% of the population. Recently, platelet-rich plasma (PRP)<sup>2</sup> has gained popularity. Assess the long-term outcomes of PRP for patients with refractory LE. We assessed 31 patients who had failed conservative management using the Oxford Elbow Score (OES).<sup>3</sup>. Mean follow-up: 5.2 years (range 4.2-6.1 years).87.1% exhibited minimum clinically important difference (MCID)<sup>4</sup> in pain scores between pre-op and long-term. 90.3% displayed MCID in function and psycho-social domains.Two patients had a repeat injection and six underwent open release. PRP is successful in treating refractory LE in most patients and avoiding surgery.