Efficacy of Using Platelet-Rich Plasma in Spinal Fusion Surgery—A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses–Compliant Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been frequently used to enhance bone regeneration. A meta-analysis was conducted to systematically assess the fusion rate and pain relief of applying PRP during spinal fusion surgery. Studies investigating spinal fusion surgery combined with PRP were retrieved from Medline and the Web of Science in accordance with the inclusion and exclusion criteria. A quality evaluation was conducted using the Cochrane collaboration tool for randomized controlled trials and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale quality assessment for cohort trials. Statistical analysis was performed using RevMan, version 5.3. A total of 12 studies, including 3 randomized controlled trials and 9 cohort studies, with 661 patients, were included in the present meta-analysis. The mean age was 52.3 ± 8.0 years. Overall, the pooled results demonstrated that the differences in the fusion rates between the PRP and non-PRP treatment groups were not statistically significant. The risk ratio was 1.01 (95% confidence interval, 0.95-1.06; P= 0.83). Also, no significant difference in pain relief measured using the visual analog scale was found between the 2 groups. The mean difference was-0.08 (95% confidence interval,-0.26 to 0.11; P= 0.42). Adding PRP did not increase the fusion rates from spinal fusion surgery. In addition, no significant difference was found in pain relief between the PRP and non-PRP treatment groups.