Outcome of Treatment of Osteoarthritis with Arthroscopic Debridement and Autologous Conditioned Plasma

Introduction: Worldwide estimates are that 9.6% of men and 18.0% of women aged over 60 years have symptomatic osteoarthritis. The current treatment options vary from conservative to joint replacement. Recently, debridement of the joint has become an option for symptomatic relief. We evaluated the outcome of arthroscopic debridement with autologous conditioned plasma. The latter helps to promote cellular repair. We have evaluated our results over a two year period. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analyzed a cohort of 52 patients who underwent arthroscopic knee debridement with autologous conditioned plasma in 2011. The patients were followed up in clinic till discharge. The case notes were reviewed and baseline demographic data obtained. This included age, medical history, occupation, range of movement, BMI measurements, duration of operation and radiographic scores. We analyzed the outcomes against those factors. Results: Of the 52 patients in our study, 16 were female and 36 were male. The mean follow-up period in the clinic was 6.5 months. The Kellgren-Lawrence score was 21.2% Grade 1, 13.5% Grade 2, 51.9% Grade 3 and 13.5% Grade 4. Improvement in range of movement was seen in 32.7% of patients. Conclusions: This study shows that arthroscopic debridement with autologous conditioned plasma (ACP) has a role to play in the treatment of osteoarthritis. In view of these findings, we recommend that surgeons should consider arthroscopic debridement with autologous conditioned plasma as part of their treatment armamentarium.