Abstract

Platelet rich plasma (PRP) is an autologous platelet concentration in a small amount of plasma. It has been employed in numerous medical sectors for over two decades. Fluoroscopic guided epidural injection of PRP has been found to be an effective treatment for lumbar discogenic pain in multiple researches. The goal of this study was to see how effective this new therapy technique was at relieving pain and improving functional outcome in patients with single-level lumbar discogenic pain. Materials and Methods: In this prospective analysis, 33 patients having low back pain and unilateral radiculopathy whomever not responded to conservative treatment were enrolled. Under fluoroscopic guidance, all patients received an epidural injection of platelet-rich plasma (PRP). A systematic process was used to make PRP from the patient's own blood. The primary outcome measure was change in pain intensity from baseline to 24 weeks follow-up, as measured by VAS, SLRT, and secondary outcome measures included changes in functional status and quality of life, as measured by the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) and RMDQ, respectively. Results: The study included 33 patients, with a mean age of 44 years (range, 22-60 years). At 24th week follow-up, there was a significant improvement in pain intensity, as measured by VAS (mean difference-0.8; F value-261.366; p<0.001), SLRT (mean difference-74.4; F value-194.61; p<0.001) and functional outcome RMDQ (mean difference-3.4; F value-303.621; p<0.001), ODI (meandifference-11.2; F value-363.648; p<0.001). Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that fluoroscopic guided epidural injections of platelet rich plasma may be an effective treatment for single level lumbar discogenic pain. This is a promising finding, as previous treatments for this condition have had limited success. More research is needed to confirm these results, but if they are borne out by further studies, this could be a major breakthrough in the management of discogenic pain.

Description