AOSSM/AANA Specialty Day 2020-Handout - Clinical Efficacy of Intra-Articular Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis_ A Double Blinded, Prospective, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Handout - Clinical Efficacy of Intra-Articular Mesenchymal Stem Cells for the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis_ A Double Blinded, Prospective, Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

Back to course

Pdf Summary

This double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trial evaluated the efficacy of intra-articular Stromal Vascular Fraction (SVF) injections for knee osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. SVF is derived from adipose tissue and contains a mixture of stromal and vascular progenitor cells, offering stem cell therapy benefits without complex procedures. The study enrolled 39 patients aged 40-75 with symptomatic grade 2-3 knee OA, excluding those with BMI over 35 or other joint complications.<br /><br />Patients were randomized into three groups: high-dose SVF (30 million cells), low-dose SVF (15 million cells), and placebo (no cells). SVF was processed via the GID SVF-2 device from abdominal adipose tissue and injected into the affected knee. Knee function was assessed using the WOMAC score at baseline, 6 weeks, 3, 6, and 12 months post-injection, while MRI evaluated cartilage thickness at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months.<br /><br />Results demonstrated a dose-dependent improvement in knee symptoms, with both SVF treatment groups showing statistically significant symptom relief at 6 and 12 months compared to placebo (p < 0.01). Despite symptomatic improvement, MRI scans revealed no measurable changes in knee cartilage thickness at follow-ups. Importantly, no adverse effects such as heterotopic ossification or neoplastic growth were observed at one year.<br /><br />The study concludes that SVF injections provide a meaningful clinical benefit in managing knee OA symptoms, potentially delaying the need for total knee arthroplasty (TKA) or serving as an alternative treatment. However, cartilage regeneration was not observed, suggesting symptom relief may result from anti-inflammatory or other reparative cellular mechanisms rather than structural cartilage restoration. Overall, intra-articular SVF is a promising, minimally invasive therapy for moderate knee OA with favorable safety and efficacy profiles over one year.

Keywords

stromal vascular fraction

SVF injections

knee osteoarthritis

randomized clinical trial

placebo-controlled study

WOMAC score

cartilage thickness

dose-dependent effect

adipose-derived stem cells

knee function improvement