ArticlePloS one2026
Five-year real-world outcomes of short-course leukocyte-poor PRP versus standard conservative therapy in early-stage knee osteoarthritis.
Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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.
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.
Who cites it
0 citing papers in PubMed.
No citing paper in PubMed yet.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundPlatelet-rich plasma (PRP) is increasingly applied in knee osteoarthritis (KOA), but its long-term efficacy remains uncertain. This study assessed 5-year outcomes of intra-articular PRP compared with conventional therapy in early-stage KOA.
methodsA retrospective cohort of 116 patients with bilateral KOA (Kellgren-Lawrence I-II) treated in 2019 was analyzed. Group A (n = 58) received standardized management plus three PRP injections, while Group B (n = 58) received standardized conservative management alone (NSAIDs and/or intra-articular hyaluronic acid), combined with education, exercise therapy, and weight management. Pain, function, and quality of life were evaluated by VAS, WOMAC, and SF-36 at baseline and 5 years.
resultsBoth groups showed deterioration over 5 years. VAS increased from 4.64 ± 0.52 to 5.41 ± 1.17 in Group A and from 4.80 ± 0.59 to 5.44 ± 1.16 in Group B, without significant between-group difference (P = 0.849). WOMAC and SF-36 scores also worsened similarly, with no intergroup significance (P > 0.05). Intra-group analyses confirmed significant declines from baseline (P < 0.001).
conclusionsAlthough a short, single course of leukocyte-poor PRP did not yield sustained superiority over standardized conservative management at 5 years, this real-world study provides rare long-term comparative evidence that defines the temporal boundaries of PRP efficacy and underscores the need for maintenance or optimized dosing protocols in clinical practice.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
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.