SynthesisOrthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany)2025
Intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid versus plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) for knee osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials : A meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
7 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- No significant short-term advantages of corticosteroids-augmented intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid for knee osteoarthritis : A meta-analysis.Orthopadie (Heidelberg, Germany) · 2026Pooled it
- Intra-articular Hyaluronic Acid Injections May Be Beneficial in Patients with Less Advanced Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Randomised Controlled Trials.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2025Pooled it
- Efficacy of decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) for articular cartilage repair in osteoarthritis (OA): a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
- Intra-articular hyaluronic acid injections for hip osteoarthritis: a level I systematic review.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025Pooled it
- Biologics or surgery for moderate knee osteoarthritis? a patient-centered framework for short-term relief and long-term outcomes.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Review
- Comparison of the Efficacy of Intra-Articular Polyacrylamide Hydrogel and the Cross-Linked Hyaluronic Acid/Chondroitin Sulfate Combination in Treating Advanced-Stage Knee Osteoarthritis.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2026Article
- Plasma Rich in Growth Factors (PRGF) Versus Saline Intraosseous Infiltrations Combined with Intra-Articular PRGF in Severe Knee Osteoarthritis: A Prospective Double-Blind Multicentric Randomized Controlled Trial with 1-Year Follow-Up.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
introductionThe present meta-analysis compared intra-articular injections of hyaluronic acid (HA) versus plasma rich in growth factors (PRGF) in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA). The outcome of interest was the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC).
methodsThis study was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses: the 2020 PRISMA statement. All the head-to-head randomised controlled trials (RCT) comparing intra-articular HA injections versus PRGF were accessed and included in the present study. Only studies that clearly stated that injections were performed in patients with knee OA, irrespective of the severity of OA, were considered. Data concerning the WOMAC index were retrieved at baseline and last follow-up. The endpoint of interest was to investigate whether intra-articular HA injections are associated with WOMAC score improvement compared to PRGF injections at 4-6 months follow-up.
resultsData from 432 patients were collected and 76.3% (330 of 432) of the patients were women. The mean age of the patients was 58.2 ± 1.5 years and the mean body mass index (BMI) was 28.0 ± 0.5 kg/m
conclusionThe current level I evidence suggests that the use of PRGF might be associated with more favorable clinical outcomes than using HA.
Indexed as
Identifiers
39964439What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.