SVF
Level A· Stronger Clinical EvidenceMeta-analysis

Systematic review and meta-analysis of the efficacy and safety of stem cell treatment of anal fistulas.

Emile SH., Dourado J., Rogers P., Wignakumar A., Horesh N., Garoufalia Z.

Meta-analysis with a reported sample of 1160 on Chronic Wound, Autoimmune Research, published in Tech Coloproctol (2025) — summary generated from the PubMed abstract.

This page is generated from the PubMed record. The Thai description is an automated summary of bibliographic fields and the abstract, not a full translation, and is not medical advice.

Study type
Meta-analysis
Journal
Tech Coloproctol (2025)
Country
Italy
Reported sample size
1160
PMID
40205247
DOI
10.1007/s10151-025-03138-y

Abstract (original English)

Since anal fistulas can be challenging to treat; numerous innovative treatments have been proposed, including stem cell therapy. This systematic review aimed to assess pooled rates of fistula healing and adverse events associated with stem cell treatment. In this PRISMA-compliant systematic review we searched PubMed and Scopus for observational and randomized studies reporting outcomes of stem cell treatment for anal fistulas. The main outcome measures were successful healing and adverse effects of stem cell therapy. In total, 43 studies incorporating 1160 patients (53.6% male) were included. Underlying fistula etiologies were Crohn's disease (30 studies) and cryptoglandular disease (12 studies). The main origin of stem cells was from adipose tissue (34 studies) or bone marrow (6 studies). The median follow-up duration was 12 months. The combined overall pooled healing rate was 58.1% (95% confidence interval (CI) 51.5-64.7%). The pooled healing rate for Crohn's fistulas was 60.4% (95% CI 54.7-66.2%) with adipose-derived stem cells and 63.6% (95% CI 49.4-77.7%) with bone-marrow-derived cells. The pooled healing rate for cryptoglandular fistulas was 53.8% (95% CI 35.5-72.2%) with adipose-derived stem cells. The pooled complication rate was 37.3% (95% CI 27.1-47.5%). Stem cells were associated with higher odds of anal fistula healing (odds ratio (OR): 1.81, p = 0.003) and similar

What this study does not prove

  • • This study does not prove SVF is an approved treatment or a replacement for standard care.

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.

How we grade evidence
HumansRectal FistulaStem Cell TransplantationTreatment OutcomeMaleAdipose TissueFemaleWound HealingCrohn DiseaseAdult
Systemic / IVChronic WoundAutoimmune Research
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