A SNU professor has revealed that the regeneration remedy Platelet-Rich Plasma (PRP) makes rotator cuff replacement surgery more effective.

A team of researchers led by JO Chris Hyunchul of SNU’s College of Medicine and Boramae Hospital have shown that replacement surgeries using PRP are more successful compared with ones that do not employ PRP.

The title of their research paper is ”Does Platelet-Rich Plasma Accelerate Recovery After Rotator Cuff Repair? A Prospective Cohort Study” and it was published in the July 2011 issue of American Journal of Sports Medicine, a prestigious academic journal in the field of orthopedics and sports medicine. Rupture of the rotator cuff is considered the most prevalent cause of diseases in the shoulder joint, such as so-called ‘frozen shoulder’.

The rotator cuff is sinew in the four muscles (supraspinatus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis muscle) in the shoulders. It helps to raise upper limbs or to fix them to shoulders.

The occurrence of ruptures of the rotator cuff has been increasing in recent years, with 22% of Americans over the age of 65 suffering from it.

The team led by Jo performed PRP surgery on 19 patients and endoscopic replacement surgery on 23 patients of rotator cuff rupture. Over time, the re-rupture rate after the surgery was 26.7% for patients who underwent PRP surgery, and 41.2% for patients who underwent ordinary surgery.

Previously, although the endoscopic replacement surgery was successful, the biggest problem was that the area that had received stitches often was re-torn. However, research by Jo showed enough evidence that PRP can reduce the re-rupture rate after surgery.

PRP is made by highly concentrating blood disks, red blood cells that have various growth factors that contribute to the healing of tissues. Therefore, utilizing a high concentration of blood disks helps heal and regenerate the damaged tissue of a rupture.

Professor Jo added that “PRP can be applied to virtually all medical areas that deal with damage and regeneration of tissues, including dermatology, plastic surgery, odontology, ophthalmology, and thoracic surgery.

Written by PARK Ziho, SNU English Editor, snuitsm2@snu.ac.kr   ?
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com