Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32010233›Full record

ArticleShoulder & elbow2020

Comparing leukocyte-rich platelet-rich plasma injection with surgical intervention for the management of refractory tennis elbow. A prospective randomised trial.

A C Watts, B W Morgan, A Birch, D Nuttall, I A Trail

Open access · bronzeAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Shoulder & elbow, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
12citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.0field-weighted citation impact, top 25% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

12 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

A C WattsDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Wrightington Upper Limb Unit, Wigan, UK.
B W MorganDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Wrightington Upper Limb Unit, Wigan, UK.
A BirchDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Wrightington Upper Limb Unit, Wigan, UK.
D NuttallDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Wrightington Upper Limb Unit, Wigan, UK.
I A TrailDepartment of Trauma and Orthopaedics, Wrightington Upper Limb Unit, Wigan, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPatients with ongoing symptoms after non-operative treatment of lateral epicondylosis are usually treated with surgical release. Platelet-rich plasma injection is an alternative treatment option. This study aims to determine whether there is a difference in outcome from platelet-rich plasma injection or surgical release for refractory tennis elbow.

methodEighty-one patients with a diagnosis of tennis elbow for a minimum of six months, treated with previous steroid injection and a minimum visual analogue scale pain score of 50/100 were randomised to open surgery release (41 patients) or leucocyte rich platelet-rich plasma (L-PRP) (40 patients). Patients completed the Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation and Disability of the Arm Shoulder and Hand at baseline, 1.5, 3, 6 and 12 months post-intervention. The primary endpoint was change in Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation pain score at 12 months.

resultsFifty-two patients completed final follow-up. Functional and pain scores improved in both groups. No differences in functional improvements were found but greater improvements in Patient-Rated Tennis Elbow Evaluation pain scores were seen after surgery. Thirteen patients crossed over from platelet-rich plasma to surgery within 12 months, and one surgical patient underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection.

conclusionL-PRP and surgery produce equivalent functional outcome but surgery may result in lower pain scores at 12 months. Seventy per cent of patients treated with platelet-rich plasma avoided surgical intervention.

Indexed as

extensor carpi radialis brevislateral epicondylosis; tennis elbowplatelet-rich plasmasurgery

Identifiers

PMID32010233
PMCPMC6974885
OpenAlexW2901571946

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.