Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42682855›Full record

ReviewOrthopaedic journal of sports medicine2026

Evaluation of Spin Bias in the Use of Platelet-Rich Plasma for Augmentation of Meniscal Tear Repairs.

Christina Im, Al-Hassan Dajani, Aidan Marks, Timothy Liu, Christopher Hamad, Thomas J Kremen, Amanda Honsvall Hoefler, Edward C Cheung

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

8 authors.

Christina ImDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1380-2278
Al-Hassan DajaniDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9322-8254
Aidan MarksYale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0003-2557-713X
Timothy LiuDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Christopher HamadDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8896-9857
Thomas J KremenDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1643-4869
Amanda Honsvall HoeflerDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.
Edward C CheungDepartment of Orthopaedic Surgery, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, USA.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5125-4180

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is used as a biologic adjunct for meniscal repair (MR). Systematic reviews and meta-analyses are frequently used to inform treatment decisions, but their abstracts may contain spin bias, overstating benefits and misrepresenting the certainty of the evidence. Purpose: To determine the prevalence and patterns of spin in systematic reviews and meta-analyses evaluating PRP augmentation of MR. Study Design: Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4. Methods: Relevant studies were reviewed and identified in accordance with PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines on July 14, 2025. Each abstract was assessed for 15 predefined spin bias categories, and their corresponding full text was evaluated for methodological quality using A Measurement Tool to Assess Systematic Reviews, Version 2 (AMSTAR 2). General information of the studies was also extracted. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the incidence of spin bias types and AMSTAR 2 ratings and presented as percentages of total possible responses. Study characteristics, spin bias, and AMSTAR 2 associations were assessed using nonparametric statistical tests, with statistical significance set at Results: Screening of 1047 records yielded 16 relevant studies that were included in this analysis. At least 1 form of spin bias was identified in 15 out of 16 (93.8%) of abstracts. The most frequent spin bias types included type 14 (failure to report a wide confidence interval of estimates), type 11 (conclusion focuses selectively on statistically significant efficacy outcome), and type 3 (selective reporting of or overemphasis on efficacy outcomes or analysis favoring the beneficial effect of the experimental intervention), which each appeared in 43.8% of studies. AMSTAR 2 ratings were critically low in 68.8% of studies. No significant associations emerged between study characteristics, spin type, or AMSTAR 2 (all Conclusion: The study demonstrated that abstract-level spin bias is highly prevalent in reviews of PRP augmentation for MR, often alongside low methodological confidence. More transparent abstract reporting is needed to ensure clinicians accurately interpret the strength and uncertainty of the available evidence. Reducing spin may help clinicians avoid overestimating PRP benefits when counseling patients and selecting treatments.

Indexed as

biologic augmentationmeniscal repairplatelet-rich plasmaspin bias

Identifiers

PMID42682855
PMCPMC13530724

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.