Background: Knee articular cartilage injury is a prevalent clinical condition characterized by limited intrinsic repair capacity. Arthroscopic microfracture is the most commonly performed surgical intervention for this injury; however, its long-term repair outcomes remain suboptimal. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP), a biological product enriched with multiple growth factors, has been shown to promote cartilage regeneration and repair. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and safety of PRP combined with arthroscopic microfracture in the treatment of knee cartilage injury. Methods: A total of 80 patients diagnosed with knee cartilage injury who were admitted to our hospital between January 2022 and December 2023 were randomly assigned to either the control group (n=40) or the observation group (n=40). Patients in the control group underwent arthroscopic microfracture alone, while those in the observation group received PRP combined with arthroscopic microfracture. Intraoperative and postoperative outcomes, including operation time, hospital stay, Lysholm knee score, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) score, Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pain score, 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) score, and incidence of complications, were compared between the two groups. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in operation time or hospital stay between the two groups (p>0.05). At 3 and 6 months postoperatively, the Lysholm score, IKDC score, and SF-36 score in the observation group were significantly higher than those in the control group, whereas the VAS score was significantly lower (all p<0.05). The complication rate was 5.00% (2/40) in the observation group and 20.00% (8/40) in the control group, with a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: The combination of PRP and arthroscopic microfracture can significantly improve knee joint function, alleviate pain, and enhance the quality of life in patients with knee cartilage injury, with a favorable safety profile. This combined approach is therefore worthy of clinical promotion and application.
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Zhang, J., Mo, W. (2026) Platelet-rich Plasma Combined with Arthroscopic Microfracture for the Treatment of Knee Cartilage Injury. Journal of Disease and Public Health, 2(3), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.71052/jdph/UKDY3382