Fat is the best source for obtaining mesenchymal cells in an adult person who was unable to save his umbilical cord, and needs to treat his osteoarthritis to regenerate articular cartilage and avoid surgery.
If you have heard that mesenchymal stem cells are only obtained from the umbilical cord, in this post, I can tell you that it is not so, since adults, can obtain their mesenchymal stem cells to regenerate their own body, structures such as articular cartilage.
Science has been showing great advances and we in Argentina, perform the most advanced treatments with Mesenchymal Cells derived from Adipose Tissue. Mesenchymal stem cells are unspecialized cells that have the ability to self-renew for long periods of time, differentiating into specialized cells with specific functions, and can give rise to various types of cells. This stem cell, in particular, can give rise to bone, cartilage, muscle, fat or other tissues subjected to the stimulus of biochemical signals from the site where it is implanted.
Using the latest techniques we offer, mainly mesenchymal cells and pericytes (blood vessel promoting cells), as well as cytokines and growth factors (precursors of the therapeutic effect) are extracted in just 15 minutes by means of a simple mini liposuction.
What are the applications of stem cells in traumatology?
Stem cells are mainly used to treat joint osteoarthritis and pseudarthrosis of bones. Treatment of osteoarthritis of the knee with mesenchymal stem cells has achieved significant symptom relief in more than 90% of patients with advanced osteoarthritis. Improvement is seen in pain and difficulty in walking, especially when going up and down stairs.
Improvement in pain and functional disability is seen 6-8 weeks after treatment, and is progressive during the first year and even the second year.
With the Magnetic Resonance Imaging called T2 mapping (which is not the usual one) it has been proved that the treatment with mesenchymal stem cells applied in knee osteoarthritis can stop the progressive loss of articular cartilage and, at the same time, produce a regenerative effect on it; thus, its main indications are tissue necrosis (to regenerate them) or pseudoarthrosis of the bones, as well as for the regeneration of the intervertebral disc.
It is a treatment that is also applied to other joints: hip, ankle, shoulder, foot, elbow, wrist and hand joints. The therapeutic concept is the same as in the knee, since, although the results differ in some aspects, the pattern is the same in terms of pain improvement and signs of regeneration.
How is stem cell treatment performed?
The stem cells come from the patient himself. They are obtained with a minimal type of aspiration of the fat (mini ambulatory lipid extraction).
In our case we use abdominal fat, since the extraction is very simple and we obtain 700 times the amount that can be obtained with any other procedure.
Thus, it is performed with a small outpatient procedure, under local anesthesia, which usually lasts about 25 minutes. It consists of a small liposuction in which a small incision of 0.2mm is made, which does not require stitches.
To treat joint and tendon pathology, a single application is made. After the infiltration it is not necessary to rest and it is recommended to move the treated joint immediately.
The patient will be able to lead a normal life and will be able to perform dynamic activities such as cycling or light walking, in order to avoid overload. If the patient is a strenuous worker, a week off work will be recommended.
If the patient works at a desk, he can resume his activity the next day.
If there is mild discomfort after infiltration, local ice should be applied and anti-inflammatory drugs should be avoided for 10 days before and 2 weeks after treatment.
The pain that the patient will feel is usually mild-moderate and is easily controlled with analgesics that do not interfere with joint recovery.
Advantages of stem cell treatment over other techniques
The advantages of stem cell treatment with liposuction is that it is carried out with autologous cells, that is, the patient’s own cells, so there is no possibility of rejection or risk of malignization.
In addition, with the extraction of fat from the abdomen, a 700 to 1000 times greater quantity is obtained, compared to that obtained with medullary puncture (conventional treatment), in addition to the fact that the cellular product obtained is carried out in a closed circuit system device that only uses a sterile saline solution to eliminate impurities, but without using any activator or external product.
In this way, the beneficial properties of the tissues are preserved.
On the other hand, both the extraction and the local infiltration are performed in the same act and on the same day. All these gestures make the infiltration with mesenchymal stem cells of microfragmented fat to be of the highest quality and to be applied in the exact place, achieving an increase in the success rate.
Am I a candidate for this treatment: am I too adult to have this treatment?
You can undergo stem cell treatment:
– Any person (no age limit) suffering from an osteoarticular or tendon injury that limits normal functioning for physical activity.
– Any patient whose symptoms have not been relieved by other techniques, such as physical therapy, anti-inflammatory drugs or corticosteroids.
– Patients who want a minimally invasive alternative with minimal risk, rather than undergoing any major surgery.
– Any person who does not have a blood disorder, an active neoplasm or is undergoing treatment for a neoplasm.
