To investigate the effects of platelet-rich plasma combined with arthroscopic surgery on IL-1, TNF-α and knee function in patients with meniscus injury.

Between January 2017 and July 2018, 68 meniscuses were treated in orthopaedics departments of the Ninth People’s Hospital of Suzhou and the Fist Hospital of Nanjing. The enrolled patients had indications for arthroscopic surgery and did not incorporate diseases that affected motor function, and patients with a history of knee surgery and abnormal blood coagulation were excluded. For the injured patients, the random number table method was used for the observation group (n=34) and the control group (n=34). The control group received arthroscopic surgery, and the observation group was injected with platelet-rich plasma on the basis of the control group. After six months of treatment, the efficacy of the two groups and the occurrence of adverse reactions in the two groups within six months were compared using the chi-square test and the Fisher’s exact test; before treatment, two weeks after treatment, and six months after treatment, knee function and serum interleukin (IL)-1, and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α levels in the two groups were analyzed by t test, repeated measurement analysis of variance was used for comparison at different time points, and multivariate analysis of variance was used for comparison between groups and time.

Six months after the treatment, the total effective rate in the observation group was 88.24%, which was higher than that(67.65%) in the control group (χ²=4.191, P<0.05). The Lysholm and International Knee Documentation Committee(IKDC)knee fuction scores of the two groups were higher than those before the treatment at two weeks and six months after the treatment (F=8.236, 5.267, P<0.05); the scores of the observation group were higher than the control group at six months after the treatment (F=4.035, 4.535, P<0.05). The levels of serum IL-1 and TNF-α in the two groups decreased two weeks after treatment and six months after treatment (F=133.35, 12.145, P<0.05), and the observation group was lower than the control group (F=23.672, 10.245, P<0.05). Within six months after treatment, two patients (5.88%) in the control group had mild joint swelling and pain and limited movement. No adverse reaction occurred in the observation group (0.00%), and there was no statistical difference between the groups (P>0.05).

Based on arthroscopic surgery, combined with platelet-rich plasma can improve knee function, reduce IL-1, TNF-α levels, inhibit inflammatory damage, and increase the healing rate in patients with meniscus injury, which is worthy for clinical application.