Short-term results of intra-articular injections of stromal vascular fraction for early knee osteoarthritis

Abstract

Background In knee osteoarthritis, progressive degeneration of the articular cartilage surface produces disability and chronic pain. Intra-articular injections of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) could be an innovative approach to manage patients with early knee osteoarthritis. Methods Between June 2019 and November 2020, 123 patients were recruited to receive intra-articular injection of SVF. Radiographic evidence of degenerative joint disease was classified according to Kellgren and Lawrence grades. Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) and visual analog scale (VAS) were collected preoperatively, at 1 month, and after 6 months from injection. Results There was a statistically significant improvement of KOOS and VAS of all patients to 6 months (p < 0.05). The mean KOOS before injection was 51.4 ± 16.5, after 1 month it was 75.5 ± 15.8, and at 6 months it was 87.6 ± 7.7. Stratifying the mean KOOS according to Kellgren–Lawrence Grades, the difference remained statistically significant (p < 0.05). The patients’ mean VAS before injection was 6.5, after 1 month it was 3.5, and after 6 months it was 2.4. No complications were observed. Conclusions Intra-articular knee injection of SVF is safe and effective to ameliorate the clinical and functional scores in patients with early knee osteoarthritis for 6 months.

Adipose Tissue-Derived Minimally Manipulated Products versus Platelet-Rich Plasma for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis: A Systematic Review of Clinical Evidence and Meta-Analysis

“…Almost all studies used a Lipogems (Lipogems International Spa, Milan, Italy) device (n = 29 studies) to process the adipose tissue. In the other four studies, Lipocell (Tiss’You, RSM) [ 27 ], Hy-tissue SVF Separation System kit (Fidia, Abano Terme, Italy) [ 50 ], MyStemTM kit (MyStem, Wilmington, DE, USA) [ 53 ], and Tulip Soft Harvest GOLD System (Tulip Medical, San Diego, CA, USA) [ 49 ] were employed, respectively. Only in four studies was the adipose tissue characterized before injection: immunophenotype analysis and viability [ 29 , 34 , 40 ], total nucleated cell count [ 29 ], and histology of lipoaspirate [ 42 ] were evaluated.…”

“…Only in four studies was the adipose tissue characterized before injection: immunophenotype analysis and viability [ 29 , 34 , 40 ], total nucleated cell count [ 29 ], and histology of lipoaspirate [ 42 ] were evaluated. Some studies did not indicate the amount (ml) of injected MM-AT; when reported, the amount was very variable, from a minimum of 3 mL [ 34 ] to a maximum of 19 mL [ 46 ], with 10 mL being the most commonly injected dose [ 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 41 , 44 , 49 , 50 , 51 , 52 , 57 ]. MM-AT was injected through ultrasound (US) guidance in 11 studies [ 29 , 33 , 34 , 36 , 38 , 39 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 47 , 56 ].…”

Stem cells for the treatment of early to moderate osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review

“…The VAS was mainly used to evaluate pain relief, and eight studies [1,7,10,21,22,[27][28][29] assessed it at baseline and after administration. The follow-up period was ranged between 3 months to 5 years, and the improvement varied between 0.9 to 5.2 points.…”

Adipose-derived stem cell-based optimization strategies for musculoskeletal regeneration: recent advances and perspectives

“…The efficacy and safety of intra-articular ADSC injection for patients with knee osteoarthritis have been confirmed clinically, with this treatment leading to functional improvement, pain relief, cartilage restoration, and retardation of disease progression, as measured via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), with no serious adverse events [ 127 – 132 ]. In addition, the intra-articular injection of autologous adipose-derived SVFs (ADSVFs) in patients with knee osteoarthritis has yielded good results [ 133 – 136 ]. Although the evidence is limited, the conclusions of these studies suggest that ADSCs or ADSVFs, which are rich in ADSCs, exert promising effects and are considered safe as an alternative treatment option for osteoarthritis.…”