Abstract
The clinical application of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been increasing sharply in the last two decades. Its role as a potential regenerative agent and ease of application have allowed it to take huge share in the fast-evolving biological therapy field. The reported effect of PRP on a range of tissue types including bone, cartilage, tendon and muscle has attracted clinical interest in fields such as trauma, orthopaedic, maxillofacial and plastic surgery where effective healing of tissues is critical for successful outcome. The results of in vitro and animal studies that largely report positive effects of PRP on cellular and matrix regeneration have been the main drive for its translation to clinical settings. Despite the lack of appropriately powered trials, PRP administration remains an attractive strategy given its cost-effective, minimally invasive nature and the autologous nature of PRP. In this chapter, the current literature on the use of PRP in regenerative medicine is reviewed highlighting both some of the controversy surrounding this approach and some emerging clinical applications. A new PRP classification system is presented to allow better description of the variable clinical PRP products and their correlated outcome.
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