Introduction: Achilles tendon injury is common in athletic men. Surgical repair is the usual line of management; however, other lines of treatment were adopted. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) contains growth factors that accelerate healing. Pentoxifylline (PTX) improves healing by increasing tissue perfusion through vasodilatation.
Objective: The aim of the present work was to elucidate the effect of PRP and PTX either alone or in combination on the healing process of injured Achilles tendon in adult male albino rats by histological, morphometric and biomechanical studies.
Materials and Methods: Ninety-five healthy laboratory adult male albino rats. Five rats were used as platelet-rich plasma donors. Ninety rats were divided into 5 groups 18 rats each; Group I: control group, Group II: injured untreated group, Group III: received local PRP injection into the operation site, Group IV: received daily IM PTX injections, Group V: combination group received both PRP and PTX. On day 15, the Achilles tendon of eight rats from each group was dissected. Five tendons were used in the light microscopic study and the other three were used in the ultrastructural study by scanning electron microscope to assess the structural properties of the tendon. On day 30, the Achilles tendon of ten rats from each group was dissected. Five tendons were used for the morphometric study while the other five were used for the biomechanical study to assess the functional properties of the tendon.
Results: Combined PRP + PTX treated group V showed better healing results than all other experimental groups both histologically and biomechanically. PRP-treated group III showed better healing than PTX-treated group IV which in turn was superior to the untreated group II.
Conclusion: There is a benefit of using combined PRP and PTX than either treatment alone in promoting Achilles tendon healing post-injury.