PRP on Preventıon of Tunnel Enlargement in ACL Reconstructıon

Background. The purpose of this study is to describe the role of Platelet Rich Plasma in preventing tunnel enlargement in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction with a hamstring autograft Material and methods. Forty-four patients who underwent transtibial reconstructive surgery with a hamstring tendon autograft between March 2014 and July 2015 were included in this study. This study involved two groups. Group A consisted of 18 patients who underwent PRPadministration into the femoral and tibial tunnel. Group B was a control group that included 26 patients who underwent ACL reconstruction surgery with a hamstring autograft without PRP. The patients were evaluated preoperatively and postoperatively with the IKDC score, Lysholm score, Tegner activity scale and a KT-1000 arthrometer device. The diameter of the tibial and femoral tunnels of the operated knees was measured on the first day and at three months postoperatively using CT. Measurements carried out for tomography standardization of the patients were evaluated on coronal, sagittal and axial images from 64-slice MSCT scans. Results. On comparison of radiological data between both groups, there was less tunnel enlargement in PRP-administered group for the femoral tunnel, but the result was not statistically significant. No difference was seen between clinical examination results and the grading scales used. Conclusions. 1. The radiological findings of our study indicated that while there was less tunnel enlargement in the PRP group, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups. 2. Similarly, clinical exa­mination results and scoring scales used did not de­monstrate any intergroup difference. 3. As a result, we donot recommend routine use of PRP for the prevention of tunnel enlargement after ACL reconstruction.