Autologous Fat Transfer for Finger Joint and Basal Thumb Osteoarthritis

Abstract

Autologous fat injection into osteoarthritic joints (liparthroplasty) has shown high potential in reducing pain and delaying the need for surgical intervention. The liparthroplasty is an alternative and minimally invasive treatment approach for finger and thumb carpometacarpal joint osteoarthritis with only a few studies available. A systematic literature review was performed with a search strategy in MEDLINE databases Google Scholar and Cochrane Library using the following keywords: “autologous fat grafting injection”, “adipose-derived stem cells”, “finger osteoarthritis”, “basal thumb ostheoarthritis”, “lipofilling”. The database was analyzed from inception to August 1st, 2023. About 148 studies were identified; 17 additional articles were found through previous publications (total 165 articles). A total of 150 records resulted after duplicates were removed. Fourteen studies were selected and only 10 respected the inclusions criteria. In all these studies, intra-articular injection of autologous fat into osteoarthritic finger joints and trapeziometacarpal joint reduced pain and improved hand function. The liparthroplasty of osteoarthritic finger joints seems to be a minimally invasive, secure, and valid substitute for traditional surgical interventions. While the outcomes are promising, the lack of a standardized technique to fat processing and the absence of randomized controlled trials impede a thorough assessment of the procedure’s effectiveness.