Treatment Effect of Platelet Gel on Reconstructing Bone Defects and Nonunions: A Review of In Vivo Human Studies

In ideal circumstances, a fractured bone can heal properly by itself or with the aid of clinical interventions. However, around 5% to 10% of bone fractures fail to heal properly within the expected time even with the aid of clinical interventions, resulting in nonunions. Platelet gel is a blood-derived biomaterial used in regenerative medicine aiming to promote wound healing and regeneration of damaged tissues. The purpose of this paper is to review relevant articles in an attempt to explore the current consensus on the treatment effect of platelet gel on reconstructing bone defects and nonunions, hoping to provide a valuable reference for clinicians to make treatment decisions in clinical practice. Based on the present review, most of the studies applied the combination of platelet gel and bone graft to reconstruct bone defects and nonunions, and most of the results were positive, suggesting that this treatment strategy could promote successful reconstruction of bone defects and nonunions. Only two studies tried to apply platelet gel alone to reconstruct bone defects and nonunions, therefore a convincing conclusion could not be made yet regarding the treatment effect of platelet gel alone on reconstructing bone defects and nonunions. Only one study applied platelet gel combined with extracorporeal shock wave therapy to reconstruct nonunions, and the results were positive; the hypothetical mechanism of this treatment strategy is reasonable and sound, and more future clinical studies are encouraged to further justify the effectiveness of this promising treatment strategy. In conclusion, the application of platelet gel could be a promising and useful treatment method for reconstructing bone defects and nonunions, and more future clinical studies are encouraged to further investigate the effectiveness of this promising treatment method.