Orthobiologic injections for treating degenerative meniscus lesions: a matter of facts? Ten years of clinical experience in a systematic review

Introduction

The treatment of degenerative meniscal lesions usually consists of conservative measures such as physical therapy or knee injections. Recently, the use of orthobiologics, in the form of platelet-rich plasma and cell-based therapies, gained huge popularity in orthopedic practice.

Objectives

The aim of the present systematic review is to summarize the available evidence concerning the use of orthobiologics in the treatment of degenerative meniscal lesions.

Data sources

A comprehensive search of PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane, and EMBASE was performed using various combinations of the following keywords: meniscus AND (platelet OR BMAC OR bone marrow OR adipose OR stromal vascular fraction OR placental OR cord OR jelly).

Study eligibility criteria, participants, and interventions

Articles were screened according to the following inclusion criteria: (1) clinical reports or randomized trials that included injections to treat degenerative meniscal lesions; (2) written in the English language; (3) published from 2012 to 2022.

Results

Nine studies were finally included in the present systematic review: 8 for platelet-rich plasma and 1 for micro-fragmented adipose tissue. All the studies reported clinical and functional improvements for degenerative meniscal lesions treated with orthobiologics.

Limitations

Included studies highlight considerable heterogeneity in methodological approaches. Differences in product choice, outcome measures, and follow-up preclude the ability to generate definitive suggestions for application in the everyday clinical practice.

Conclusions and implications of key findings

The literature suggests that the use of orthobiologics may offer a new effective therapeutic strategy for the treatment of degenerative meniscus lesions.