Does intra-articular injection of adipose-derived stem cells improve cartilage mass? A case report using three-dimensional image analysis software in knee osteoarthritis.

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Background Mesenchymal stem cells are currently a research focus because of the possibility of cartilage regeneration through several mechanisms, including mesenchymal stem cell sheets. However, there are no published reports visualizing cartilage in three dimensions. Here, we report a case of improved cartilage volume. We purified and cultured adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells and then performed adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy by directly injecting these cells into the articular cartilage. Cartilage was quantitatively evaluated before and after injection using three-dimensional image analysis software based on the magnetic resonance imaging. Case presentation The patient, a 55-year-old Japanese woman, experienced pain in both knees and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis of the knee. We performed adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in both knees at our hospital and quantitatively evaluated cartilage before and after the treatment using the three-dimensional image analysis software "SYNAPSE VINCENT". Conclusions Preoperatively, the cartilage defect area was 33.59 mm 2 in the femur and 122.31 mm 2 in the tibia; however, 12 months postoperatively, it improved to 13.59 mm 2 and 51.43 mm 2 , respectively. Furthermore, the preoperative femur and tibia volumes were 9.58 mL and 3.82 mL, respectively; however, 12 months postoperatively, these values improved

Evidence level

Early human evidence such as case series or small samples is exploring possible benefits.

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