The first group of patients, with fractures, would be left to heal on their own, and the other group received stem cell injections harvested from their own bone marrow. The group that received the stem cells healed sooner and produced more bone in the fracture site. Bone growth was measured by callus formation at the fracture site, so the recipients of stem cells showed faster healing and bone union between the two areas of the broken bone.
Harvesting osteoblasts stem cells:
Doctors in the study obtained the stem cells from the patients' iliac crest, using a syringe that is inserted into the bone and subsequently into the marrow and collected a pre-determined amount that would later be cultured in the lab with other bone agents, like bone alkaline phosphatase and bone-specific monoclonal antibody, Type I collagen. During this process, the osteoblast's are isolated out of the stem cells and used in the injection.
Which bones are long bones?
We have many long bones in the body, the most commonly known are the femur, tibia, radius, ulna, and humerus.
Simple Fractures:
Simple fractures are the type that don't require internal fixation where the bone breaks into two segments without complex shattering or multiple fracture sites in one bone. This study utilized patients with these two criteria's, simple long bone fractures.
After the Doctors obtain the stem cells they are transplanted with the use of a syringe guided by an X-ray into the fracture site. The Doctor's used local anesthesia to transplant the stem cells, and the patient can return to their normal routine immediately following the injection with no hospital stay.
With these injections patients didn't have to undergo surgery with internal fixation, anesthesia, or lengthy recovery with physical therapy.
The patient's progress was assessed over a two month period where they visited the hospital at one week, one month and two month intervals post injection. The Doctor used X-rays to evaluate the progress of bone growth and callus formation, which eventually led to full fracture healing.
Benefits of this procedure:
• Fracture repair without surgery
• Local anesthesia used
• Performed out-patient
• Eliminate recovery from damage to skin and muscle cutting
• Eliminate internal fixation
• Eliminate bone grafting
• Recovery time reduced
• Less expensive
• Pain is greatly reduced
• Prevention of complications from surgery
Since this procedure is relatively simple, compared to traditional surgery, this type of repair for simple long bone fractures seems far superior to surgical intervention.
