Comparison Between Platelet-rich Fibrin and Steroid for Intra-articular Injection for Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction

Plain-language summary

Low back pain is one of the commonest complaints nowadays affecting nearly 20% of the population, Sacroiliac joint has been accused of being the primary cause of pain in about 10%: 27% of this population. The sure diagnosis of sacroiliac joint pain is challenging because of multiple crossed factors of facet joint pain and intervertebral disc pain. Diagnosis can be done by history taking, local examination, imaging techniques, and controlled local anesthetic blocks. Controlled local anesthetic blocks are diagnostic and therapeutic done by various methods either landmark-guided or imaging-assisted either by fluoroscopy, computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance (MRI), or ultrasound-guided. Lower cost, real-time viewing of needle leading to higher accuracy rate, and low ionizing radiation dose are favoring ultrasound-guided injection over other modalities. Numerous treatment modalities are being used for sacroiliac joint pain ranging from physiotherapy and systemic analgesics like Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to minimally invasive intra-articular, periarticular injection, radiofrequency neurotomy, and surgical fusion of the joint. Multiple injectates are being used for intraarticular injection most commonly local anesthetics and steroids which offer short-term symptomatic relief and delay the degenerative process. The need for a longer duration effect directly affects the disease process itself aiming for accelerating the joint healing rate by biological growth factors found in human blood especially in platelets. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) has been used aiming to inject a high concentration of growth factors directly into the joint. Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF), the second generation of platelet-rich plasma is now tried having the advantage of a simpler preparation and higher values of growth factors.

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