Recently, the names of two methods have started to be mentioned frequently, especially in the treatment of knee arthritis; PRP and stem cell therapy. There is some confusion in patients regarding the choice of treatment between these two methods.
PRP is derived from the initials of the English expression "Platelet Rich Plasma" and means platelet-rich plasma. PRP treatment is a relatively new method that has been increasingly used in the treatment of various diseases, especially in the last 8-10 years. In this method, the medicine is prepared from the patient's own blood.
Although the stem cell method came out at the same time as PRP, it has become more popular in the last few years. Here, stem cells taken mostly from fat tissue and less from bone marrow and some other tissues are used for treatment purposes. The stem cell method is used in more or less the same diseases as PRP.
PRP and stem cell therapy are not a type of symptom suppression therapy, but are treatments aimed at directly treating the disease.
The basic effects of both methods are similar and it acts like a natural medicine. In PRP treatment, the growth factor of platelets and some natural protective-therapeutic substances are effective. These substances increase the number of cartilage cells called chondrocytes and attract stem cells to that area. This ensures the repair of worn cartilages and other tissues. In stem cell treatment, it is predicted that stem cells, which have the ability to transform into different cells and multiply, settle on the damaged cartilage tissue and turn into new cartilage cells. It is also thought that stem cells reduce cartilage destruction by secreting certain substances.
Both treatments can provide a slowly occurring but relatively long-lasting treatment. There is no significant difference between the effectiveness of both methods, especially in knee arthritis. So, what are the differences between the two methods and which one should we choose for treatment?
An important difference between PRP treatment and stem cell treatment is the preparation of the cells. There is an almost standard preparation method in the PRP method. A total processing time of 20 minutes and approximately the preparation time used It has a standard method with minor changes according to its needs. No foreign substance is used in the preparation of PRP. This is not the case with stem cells. To remove fatty tissue or bone marrow, tissue is removed from the patient with a minor intervention under sedation or anesthesia. It goes through many processes and is intervened with different chemicals for cell separation. In fact, it is possible to obtain pure stem cells and even determine the number of cells to be injected. However, this process may take a few weeks. But in practice, instead, stem cells are prepared in a few hours. This affects stem cell purity. There is not yet sufficient data on the potential long-term side effects of introducing foreign tissue stem cells into the joint. PRP is a more natural treatment in this sense. In terms of human studies, PRP is a little more prominent. In terms of price, PRP is a much cheaper method than stem cells. Perhaps the only disadvantage of PRP treatment is that it is generally applied 3 times, one at a time. But this is an acceptable disadvantage considering its advantages.
As a result, the PRP method has more data about it, the preparation method is almost standardized, no other chemicals are used, it is more economical and is at least as effective as stem cells. For now, it seems like a treatment that should be considered in the foreground.
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