Injury, Int. J. Care Injured 45SX (2014) SX–SX Introduction The rest period required following surgical treatment of rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is often very long. Different methods have been evaluated in an attempt to shorten the time required for the graft to acquire biomechanical properties similar to those of the original ACL [1]. ACL reconstruction with grafts is usually successful and predictable [2]. Various aspects of reconstruction, such as graft options, tunnel placement, tensioning and fixation techniques, are being revised repeatedly to improve the results. Nevertheless, the healing process of ligament and tendon is extremely complex and not fully understood [3-7]. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been recognised as a powerful adhesive and haemostatic agent and a potent source of autologous growth factors [8-12]. Consequently, there has been strong clinical interest in the use of PRP as an aid in tissue regeneration. The use of PRP treatment has become more widespread in sports medicine [3,5,13-16], mainly because of the advantage of using the patient’s own growth factors, and ease of preparation [3,5]. Some studies in ACL reconstruction have reported favourable clinical outcomes using different PRP treatments [16-18], whereas others found no advantages [19-21]. There is insufficient scientific evidence from current research to prove the safety and effectiveness of PRP treatment [1]. Most of the published research comprises case reports or case-series studies that have no control group or that have insufficient sample sizes to enable calculation of statistical significance: more research is needed using randomised double-blind methods [5,22,23]. We hypothesised that PRP may improve the outcome of ACL reconstruction by enabling better graft remodelling, immediate KEYWORDS Platelet-rich plasma Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction Graft maturation ABSTRACT Introduction: To compare the clinical, analytical and graft maturation effects of two different platelet- rich plasma (PRP) preparations applied during anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction. Materials and methods: A total of 150 patients with ACL disruption were included in the study. Arthroscopic ACL reconstruction with patellar tendon allograft was conducted on all knees using the same protocol. One hundred patients were prospectively randomised to either a group to receive double-spinning platelet-enriched gel (PRP) with leukocytes (n=50) or to a non-gel group (n=50). Finally, we included 50 patients treated with a platelet-rich preparation from a single-spinning procedure (PRGF Endoret ® Technology) without leukocytes. Inflammatory parameters, including C-reactive protein (CRP) and knee perimeters (PER), were measured 24 hours and 10 days after surgery. Postoperative pain score (visual analogue score [VAS]) was recorded the day after surgery. Follow-up visits occurred postoperatively at 3, 6, and 12 months. The International Knee Documentation Committee scale (IKDC) was included to compare functional state, and MRI was conducted 6 months after surgery. Results: The PRGF group showed a statistically significant improvement in swelling and inflammatory parameters compared with the other two groups at 24 hours after surgery (p<0.05). The results did not show any significant differences between groups for MRI and clinical scores. Conclusions: PRGF used in ACL allograft reconstruction was associated with reduced swelling; however, the intensity and uniformity of the graft on MRI were similar in the three groups, and there was no clinical or pain improvement compared with the control group. Level of Evidence: II © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Comparison between two different platelet-rich plasma preparations and control applied during anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. Is there any evidence to support their use? A. Valentí Azcáratea a, *, J Lamo-Espinosa a , D Aquerreta b , M Hernandez c , G Mora a , JRValentí Nin a a Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain b Radiologic Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain c Haematology Department, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain * Corresponding author at: Orthopedic Surgery and Traumatology, Clínica Universidad de Navarra, Av. Pio XII, 36. 31008 Pamplona Spain. Tel.: +34 948 255 400; fax: + 34 948 296 500. E-mail address: avalazc@gmail.com (A. Valentí Azcáratea). 0020-1383/$ – see front matter © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect Injury journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/injury