To evaluate the clinical efficacy of arthroscopy combined with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in the treatment of ankle joint traumatic arthritis.

From April 2016 to April 2018, 15 cases of traumatic ankle arthritis treated by ankle arthroscopic surgery combined with PRP in the department of joint and sports medicine of Weihai Municipal Hospital were taken as the experimental group, and 14 cases treated by ankle arthroscopic surgery alone in the same period were taken as the control group. PRP treatment started once a week after arthroscopic surgery. High concentration PRP (2ml) was injected three times per week. The clinical effects were evaluated by visual analogue scale (VAS) and American orthopedic foot and ankle society (AOFAS) before and after treatment. The VAS score was analyzed by rank sum test, the AOFAS score analyzed by repeated measurement ANOVA. Independent sample t test and paired t test were used for the comparisons between the groups and within the groups.

All 29 patients were followed up for an average of (12.9±1.0) months. There was no statistically significant difference in VAS(Z=0.089) or AOFAS scores(F=0.781) between the two groups before the treatment (both P>0.05). In one, three, six, 12 months after the treatment, VAS (Z=2.120, P=0.034)and AOFAS scores of the experimental group were better than the control group (F=24.454, 31.283, 89.479, 73.875, all P <0.001).

Arthroscopic surgery combined with PRP for the treatment of traumatic arthritis of the ankle might shows better results than ankle arthroscopic surgery alone.