Preliminary Report on the Time-Related Effect of a Single Autologous Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells Injection in Hip Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Observational Study

TL;DR

This study shows that a single injection of fat-derived stem cells can improve hip pain and function in most patients with hip osteoarthritis over 12 months.

Contribution

The study provides new evidence on the long-term effectiveness of a single autologous adipose-derived stem cell injection for hip osteoarthritis.

Findings

27 out of 30 patients showed consistent improvement in pain relief, hip function, and quality of life over 12 months.

Two patients required total hip arthroplasty after the treatment.

The treatment was associated with a constant amelioration of symptoms in most patients.

Abstract

Background: Recently, intra-articular injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) had been proposed as a conservative treatment for hip osteoarthritis (HOA). Adipose tissue was demonstrated as a viable source of MSCs because of the high concentration of cells and the easy access to the donor site. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the time-related results of a single intra-articular injection of autologous adipose-derived stem cells (aASCs) in a series of patients with HOA.

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 30 patients with HOA, who underwent an intra-articular injection of aASCs between September 2018 and January 2021. Inclusion criteria for the procedure were as follows: onset of symptoms of the affected hip in the prior six or more months ago, failure of the conservative treatment (NSAIDs and/or physiotherapy) and age > 18 years. Exclusion criteria were trauma in the affected hip occurred in the previous 3 months, recent arthroscopic treatment, infectious joint disease, chondromatosis of the hip or any other secondary HOA, malignancy, hyaluronic acid or other injections in the previous 6 months and incomplete follow-up. Because a low BMI makes extremely difficult to harvest enough adipose tissue, patients with a BMI < 18 were also excluded. The Oxford Hip Score, the 12-item Short Form Survey and Visual Analogue Scale were used to evaluate the results of the proposed treatment at regular intervals.

Results: In 27/30 patients, a constant improvement in pain relief, hip function and quality of life was observed during the entire follow-up period of 12 months. Two patients underwent a subsequent total hip arthroplasty.

Conclusion: The single injection of aAMSCs seems to be a valuable treatment for HOA. A constant amelioration of pain and function could be observed in most patients at 12 months of follow-up.

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