Abstract
The purpose of the present study was to assess, prospectively, the safety, clinical effectiveness, and feasibility of a single intra-articular injection of microfragmented adipose tissue in different stages of knee osteoarthritis (OA). The study included patients (aged 18–70 years), affected by OA (Kellgren–Lawrence I-IV). Unselected patients were evaluated before and prospectively after 6, 12, and 24 months from the injection. Visual analog scale (VAS) and knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score (KOOS) were used for clinical evaluations. A total of 202 patients were eligible. The mean follow-up time in the cohort of patients was 24.5 ± 9.6 months. Total KOOS significantly improved from pre-operative baseline levels to 6-month follow-up (p < 0.001), and again between 6- and 12-month follow-ups (p < 0.001). The VAS showed a prompt reduction at 6 months (p < 0.001 vs. baseline), but then it increased again at 12 months compared to the 6-month assessment (p < 0.001), even though it remained lower than baseline (p < 0.001). At 24 months, patients with KL-IV demonstrated a lower improvement compared to baseline; patients that had undergone previous corticosteroid injections had a greater risk to further injection treatment. The collected clinical results suggest that MFAT may represent a safe and effective treatment for OA symptoms, offering a low-demanding and minimally invasive treatment.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive joint disease, and is one of the leading causes of disability
adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) are traditionally obtained after enzymatic digestion and prolonged expansion in vitro; their use is strictly regulated by complicated legislation
Visual analog scale (VAS) showed a prompt reduction at 6 months (p < 0.001 vs. baseline), but it increased again at 12 months compared to the 6-month assessment (p < 0.001), even though it remained lower than baseline (p < 0.001)
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic progressive joint disease, and is one of the leading causes of disability. The treatment by intra-articular injection of adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ASC) represents an innovative and promising approach for knee and ankle OA [1–5] Both in vitro and in vivo studies clearly demonstrated antiinflammatory and regenerative properties of ASC in cartilage repair [6]. Among them, microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) has been referred to as one of the smartest and easiest ways to use adipose tissue in regenerative procedures in a variety of clinical applications [3,5,8]. Following this approach, the adipose tissue generally harvested through liposuction is processed by means of a washing and resizing device [9,10]. Several studies have been published reporting promising results in the treatment of knee OA by autologous microfragmented adipose tissue injection [11]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
