The Effect of Needle Diameter on Platelet Concentrations in Platelet-rich Plasma Injections

Introduction: Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections may be administered using needles of different thicknesses and lengths, depending on the purpose of use and tissue type. However, needle-related parameters (size/length) should not affect the treatment results. We investigated the effect of needles with different diameters on platelet concentration in vitro. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were obtained from 50 healthy volunteers. PRP was then obtained by single-spin (n = 25) and double-spin centrifugation (n = 25). After the prepared PRP was drawn into an injector, first without needles (needle-free), and then, 26G, 27G, 30G, and 33G needles were attached to the same injector, and 0.4 cc of PRP was injected into counting containers. Following sampling, the platelet concentration in the PRP samples was counted by a hematology analyzer, and the results obtained were compared. A one-way analysis of variance test was applied for the statistical analysis of the results. Differences between the groups were considered statistically significant at a value of P > 0.05. Results: The PRP platelet count mean differences between the needle-free group and the 33G, 30G, 27G, and 26G needle groups in the PRP prepared by single-spin centrifugation were 1.019, 0.994, 1,025, and 1.000, respectively, and in the PRP prepared by double-spin centrifugation, they were 1.004, 1.004, 1.008, and 1.004, respectively. Results reveal no significant difference in the platelet concentration in the different needle groups. Conclusions: The use of fine-caliber needles in PRP prepared by single- and double-spin centrifugation had no impact on the resulting platelet concentration.