Didier Serteyn, Professor of equine surgery
In human medicine, intra-articular treatment with PRP should be indicated for low grade cartilage degeneration and in case of failure of non traditional conservative approach. In horses affected by osteoarthritis, except some case
reports, no double-blind controlled study is published to confirm the efficacy of intra-articular injections of PRP. Many questions remain unanswered concerning the presence of white blood cells, the concentration of pro-inflammatory cytokines, the need of platelet activation and the individual variations. We have performed several protocols on blood collected from 5 horses to measure the concentrations of cytokines, growth factors and neutrophile enzymes. Furthermore, using an accelerometric device to quantify the lameness, we have compared the effects of hyaluronic acid (HA), PRP or a combination of PRP-HA. Based on our clinical and experimental experience, we considered that a combination PRP and HA could be promising treatment in horses affected by early degenerative joint disease.
