• Matteo Formica, Luca Cavagnaro, Carlo Formica, Milena Mastrogiacomo, Marco Basso, and Alberto Di Martino.
• Clinica Ortopedica, University of Genoa, IRCCS AOU San Martino-IST, Istituto Nazionale per la Ricerca sul Cancro, Largo Rosanna Benzi, 10 16132, Genoa, Italy. dott.formica@gmail.com.
• Eur Spine J. 2015 Nov 1; 24 (11): 2377-86.

PurposeIntervertebral disc degeneration is a common disease that usually starts from the third decade of life and it represents a significant cause of socio-economic problems. The accepted surgical treatment for disc degeneration is disc removal and vertebral fusion or, in selected cases, intervertebral disc arthroplasty. Several studies have demonstrated the ability of platelet rich plasma (PRP) to stimulate cell proliferation and extracellular matrix regeneration. However, literature results are still limited and more studies are required to clarify the role of PRP in the prevention or in the treatment of degenerative disc disease. The aim of this review is to summarize and critically analyze the current preclinical evidence about the use of PRP in intervertebral disc degeneration.MethodsLiterature search was performed through various combinations of the following keywords: Intervertebral Disc Degeneration, Platelet Rich Plasma, PRP, Intervertebral disc regeneration. Papers included in our review cover the period between 2006 and 2014. The PRISMA 2009 checklist was followed.ResultsAt the end of the review process, 12 articles were included in our final manuscript, including 6 "in vitro" and 6 "in vivo" studies. All the included studies lead to positive preclinical results. No standardization of methodological analysis was observed.ConclusionIt is not possible to draw definitive evidence about the use of PRP in IVD regeneration. We advise a proper standardization of the methodological analysis in order to compare the available data and achieve definitive results. This should be the cornerstone for future clinical applications.

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