Sodium Hyaluronate and Platelet-Rich Plasma for Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears

The treatment of partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PTRCT) remains controversial. Few studies have focused on the conservative and new measurements of small to medium PTRCT. The use of sodium hyaluronate (SH) or platelet-rich plasma (PRP) as a method for rotator cuff repair requires further investigation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the combined use of SH and PRP in the treatment of small to medium PTRCT.

A double-blinded randomized trial was used in this study.

Individuals with PTRCT detected by clinical examination and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were included in this study. The patients were randomly assigned to receive subacromial injections of normal saline, SH, PRP, or SH + PRP once a week for 4 wk. The primary outcome measure was the Constant score, and the secondary outcomes included the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and the visual analog scale scores. All of the clinical outcomes were assessed at pretreatment and 1, 3, 6, and 12 months posttreatment. MRI was used to evaluate the evolution of the cuff defect after 1 yr.

The PRP group and the SH + PRP group showed a significantly higher Constant score and ASES score after the treatments. There were significant differences between the SH + PRP group and the SH or PRP group at 12 months in the Constant, visual analog scale, and ASES scores. MRI results showed that the tear size significantly decreased in both the PRP and the SH + PRP groups, especially in the SH + PRP group.

Our study provided evidence of the efficacy of PRP injection in the healing of small to medium PTRCT. Moreover, the combined injection of SH and PRP yielded a better clinical outcome than SH or PRP alone.