Intra-articular Stromal Vascular Fraction and Mesenchymal Stem Cell Injections Show Variable Efficacy and Higher Potential Complications Compared to Corticosteroid and Hyaluronic Acid in Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis:

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

• 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)

Purpose To evaluate the clinical outcomes of intra-articular stromal vascular fraction (SVF) and adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell (ASC) injections in patients with knee osteoarthritis through a meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials. Methods PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar were systematically searched to identify Level I studies that compared the clinical efficacy of SVF or ASC with that of other nonoperative treatments. Clinical scores measured 3, 6, and 12 months postinjection were standardized to pain and functional scales for meta-analysis based on minimal clinically important differences. Follow-up magnetic resonance imaging findings and safety-related data were also investigated. Results Nine studies involving 671 patients were included. SVF demonstrated superior pain and function score improvements compared to saline or hyaluronic acid (HA) at 3, 6, and 12 months postinjection. However, SVF was inferior to corticosteroid at 3 months, showed no difference at 6 months, and was comparable or slightly superior at 12 months. ASC consistently showed better pain and function score improvements compared to saline and conservative treatment at all time points, with no significant differences observed compared to HA. High heterogeneity was noted in SVF function score results, requiring cautious interpretation. No serious adverse events related to

Evidence level

Relatively higher-quality human studies compared with other topics in this database, e.g. multiple RCTs or systematic reviews. This does not mean it is standard or approved care.

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