Systematic reviews on the use of platelet-rich plasma (PRP) in orthopaedic surgery are abundant in current published literature.

However, a beautification of results (referred to as spin) has been noted in abstracts across various aspects of medicine.

Purpose:

To determine the prevalence of spin in systematic reviews of PRP-related orthopaedic surgery abstracts. Cross-sectional study.

Following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) and Murad and Wang guidelines, we conducted a search in Medline, Embase, and the Cochrane Database for reviews on PRP-related orthopaedic surgery.

The search included studies published from inception until June 30, 2021. Included were systematic reviews written in English that involved the use of PRP in the treatment of orthopaedic injuries in human participants.

The abstracts of the included reviews were evaluated for the top 9 types of spin as described by Yavchitz et al in 2016. We determined the relationship between spin and study characteristics using odds ratios.