Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection for peripheral nerve injury: a retrospective exploratory study
- 1Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China
- 2The Third Affiliated Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- 3Zhaoqing Hospital, Third Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, Zhaoqing, China
Abstract
Although experimental studies have demonstrated that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promotes peripheral nerve repair, its clinical efficacy in treating peripheral nerve injuries remains unclear. The present study aims to evaluate safety and functional outcomes of ultrasound-guided PRP injection for peripheral nerve injury. This retrospective study analyzed consecutive patients receiving ultrasound-guided PRP injections for peripheral nerve injuries between January 2021 and March 2025. Outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment, defined as: (1) a ≥2-point reduction in the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for sensory recovery, and (2) a ≥1-grade improvement in the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale for motor function. Patients were divided based on symptom duration into short-duration (<1 year) and long-duration (≥1 year) groups. All procedure-related complications were recorded. Among 48 treated nerves, PRP therapy resulted in gradual functional improvement and was well-tolerated. Sensory recovery rates remained stable (70.8% at 1 month to 68.8% at 6 months), while motor function improved gradually (from 50.0% to 69.4%). In an exploratory subgroup analysis, the short-duration group (n = 25) showed numerically higher rates than the long-duration group (n = 23) at 6 months (sensory: 80.0% vs. 56.5%, p = 0.08; motor: 85.0% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.034). However, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (corrected α = 0.0167), the motor improvement did not remain statistically significant. No severe adverse events occurred. The present study suggests that ultrasound-guided PRP injection appears safe and may be associated with functional improvement. The observed subgroup findings are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in prospective randomized controlled trials.
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BibTeX
@article{he2026ultrasoundguided,
title = {{Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection for peripheral nerve injury: a retrospective exploratory study}},
author = {Juanjuan He and Li Jiang and Anna Tu and Na Li and Hongyan Zhu and Ying Lu and Ying Lu and Xiaomei Wei},
journal = {Experimental Biology and Medicine},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.3389/ebm.2026.11091},
url = {https://doi.org/10.3389/ebm.2026.11091},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Ultrasound-guided platelet-rich plasma injection for peripheral nerve injury: a retrospective exploratory study
AU - Juanjuan He
AU - Li Jiang
AU - Anna Tu
AU - Na Li
AU - Hongyan Zhu
AU - Ying Lu
AU - Ying Lu
AU - Xiaomei Wei
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/26
JO - Experimental Biology and Medicine
DO - 10.3389/ebm.2026.11091
UR - https://doi.org/10.3389/ebm.2026.11091
AB - Although experimental studies have demonstrated that platelet-rich plasma (PRP) promotes peripheral nerve repair, its clinical efficacy in treating peripheral nerve injuries remains unclear. The present study aims to evaluate safety and functional outcomes of ultrasound-guided PRP injection for peripheral nerve injury. This retrospective study analyzed consecutive patients receiving ultrasound-guided PRP injections for peripheral nerve injuries between January 2021 and March 2025. Outcomes were assessed at 1, 3, and 6 months post-treatment, defined as: (1) a ≥2-point reduction in the Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for sensory recovery, and (2) a ≥1-grade improvement in the Medical Research Council (MRC) scale for motor function. Patients were divided based on symptom duration into short-duration (<1 year) and long-duration (≥1 year) groups. All procedure-related complications were recorded. Among 48 treated nerves, PRP therapy resulted in gradual functional improvement and was well-tolerated. Sensory recovery rates remained stable (70.8% at 1 month to 68.8% at 6 months), while motor function improved gradually (from 50.0% to 69.4%). In an exploratory subgroup analysis, the short-duration group (n = 25) showed numerically higher rates than the long-duration group (n = 23) at 6 months (sensory: 80.0% vs. 56.5%, p = 0.08; motor: 85.0% vs. 50.0%, p = 0.034). However, after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons (corrected α = 0.0167), the motor improvement did not remain statistically significant. No severe adverse events occurred. The present study suggests that ultrasound-guided PRP injection appears safe and may be associated with functional improvement. The observed subgroup findings are hypothesis-generating and require confirmation in prospective randomized controlled trials.
SN - 1535-3699
SN - 1535-3702
ER -