effectiveness of platelet-rich plasma in treating spinal cord injuries: a systematic review & meta-analysis

Introduction: the present systematic review and meta-analysis was designed to investigate platelet-rich plasma (prp) as an effective treatment for spinal cord injury in animal models.methods: an extensive literature search was conducted using electronic databases. the included studies were summarized based on the investigated outcomes, including functional recovery and cavity size. data were recorded as mean±sd. the relationships between variables and the outcomes were investigated based on the “meta” command in the stata 17.0 statistical program.results: in total, 9 articles were included in the present meta-analysis. pooled data analysis showed that administrating prp significantly improved the motor function of animals (standardized mean differences [smd]=1.5; 95% ci, 0.9%, 2.1%; p<0.0001). in subgroup analysis based on the severity of the injury, prp administration significantly improved the motor function of animals in both moderate (smd=2.59; 95% ci, 1.59%, 3.59%; p<0.0001; i2=30.22%) and severe injuries (smd=1.22; 95% ci, 0.64%, 1.79%; p<0.0001; i2=56.35%). however, the recovery of function was significantly more in animals with moderate spinal cord injury (meta-regression coefficient=-1.36; 95% ci, -2.68%, -0.09%; p=0.035). in assessing cavity size, pooled data analysis showed that prp administration significantly reduces cavity size (smd=-2.2; 95% ci, -3.44%, -0.95%; p<0.0001).conclusion: this meta-analysis shows that prp can significantly improve motor function and reduce the cavity size in animals with moderate to severe spinal cord injuries.