Clinical application of human umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells for small articular cartilage defects of the knee in military training-related injuries

Small Articular Cartilage Defects of the Knee

Abstract

Objective: To explore the short-term efficacy and safety of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells(UC-MSCs) in patients with small articular cartilage defects of the knee.

Methods: This was a retrospective study from August 2020 to December 2020, thirty two patients with knee cartilage injuries caused by military training were admitted to the Department of Orthopedics in The General Hospital of North Theater Command Training Base included in the study. Group-A (n=11) underwent microfracture surgery, Group-B(n=10) underwent arthroscopic exploration and injected umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cells (UC MSCs) into the knee joint cavity, and Group-C (n=11) underwent microfracture surgery and injected UC MSCs into the knee joint cavity. Clinical data were collected from three groups of patients.

Results: The Lysholm scores of the three groups gradually increased, from 51.00 ± 1.6, 51.50 ± 2.2, and 50.91 ± 2.4 points before treatment to 74.64 ± 2.4, 79.40 ± 4.3, and 78.73 ± 4.2 points at the last follow-up (P<0.05), respectively. The AKSS scores also showed similar therapeutic effects. During the follow-up of six, nine, and 12 months after treatment, the scores of Group-B and C were higher than Group-A (P<0.05), while Groups-B and C had similar efficacy(P>0.05).

Conclusion: The application of microfracture combined with UC MSCs injection or UC MSCs injection alone for small cartilage defects in the knee joint can achieve certain therapeutic effects in the short term, but as a new technology, stem cells need further observation for long-term efficacy.