• Michael Catapano, Joseph Catapano, Gregory Borschel, Seyed Mohammad Alavinia, Lawrence R Robinson, and Nimish Mittal.
• Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
• Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2020 May 1; 101 (5): 897-906.

ObjectiveTo systematically review and evaluate the efficacy and complication profile of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection into the carpal tunnel for management of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).Data SourcesPubMed, MEDLINE, SCOPUS, EMBASE, Google Scholar, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and Web of Sciences (from inception to January 1, 2019).Study SelectionControlled trials addressing PRP for CTS.Data ExtractionTwo reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts, extracting data from eligible studies. The outcomes of interest were the visual analog score (VAS) for pain and the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ), including the subscales of the symptom severity scale (SSS) and the Functional Status Scale (FSS). Other reported outcome measures and complications were analyzed descriptively.Data SynthesisFour randomized controlled studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and analyzed a total of 191 cases with a final follow-up of either 3 or 6 months. Control groups included splinting in 2 studies, corticosteroid injection in 1 study, and saline injection in 1 study. There was a statistically and clinically significant improvement in the BCTQ (standardized mean difference=-2.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], -3.41 to -0.70; P=.003) between groups. Subgroup analysis showed significant improvement in SSS (standardized mean difference=-1.95; 95% CI, -3.65 to -0.25; P=.02) but not for FSS (standardized mean difference=-2.19; 95% CI, -4.77 to 0.40; P=.10). There was a similar improvement in VAS and nerve conduction studies in those receiving PRP compared to controls. Complication rate in the included studies was low with 4 of 97 participants receiving PRP injections experiencing transient pruritis, burning, or tingling.ConclusionsPRP represents a promising therapy for patients with mild to moderate CTS; however, included studies were limited as follow-up was short, the studies included patients that were heterogeneous, and the number of included studies was low. Further investigation is necessary to determine the true efficacy and effect of PRP and to better delineate the long-term results in patients with CTS.Copyright © 2019 American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

9 keywords...

hide…