Treatment of femoral neck fracture with stem cells

Hip fractures are common among the elderly, and they often occur as a result of falls or accidents. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 1.6 million hip fractures occur annually in the world. Hip fractures can be debilitating and cause severe pain, disability and loss of mobility. In cases where patients lose mobility for a long time, this clinical situation can lead to dangerous complications. Bedsores are most common, which bring pain, inconvenience and complicate the care of such patients. A more dangerous complication is deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities, which is a risk factor for the patient’s life. Hip fractures most often occur with patients over 65 years of age, the possibilities for regeneration in such patients are severely limited, so the recovery process takes a long time, and in some patients the healing process to a state where the patient can walk is not possible. Standard methods do not allow us to help all groups of patients recover and restore full mobility.

Stem cells therapy

Stem cell therapy has become a promising method of treating hip fractures. Stem cells are special cells that can develop into different types of cells in the body. Accordingly, with the introduction of stem cells, it becomes possible not only to connect bone tissue, but to achieve the emergence of new cartilage and muscle cells, which is not always possible under natural conditions. Stem cells can be obtained from a variety of sources, including bone marrow, adipose tissue and umbilical cord blood. Stem cell therapy involves injecting stem cells into the fracture site in order to accelerate tissue healing and regeneration.

There are several potential benefits of stem cell therapy for hip fractures. Stem cells have been proven to promote bone regeneration. Bone fractures usually heal as a result of a process called callus formation, in which new bone tissue forms around the fracture site. Traditional methods of hip fracture treatment, such as surgery and physical therapy, may take weeks or even months before the first results appear and the pain syndrome is reduced. Stem cells can speed up this process by providing the necessary material for bone regeneration and causing pain relief due to anti-inflammatory properties. Studies have shown that stem cell therapy can lead to increased bone density and improved bone healing in patients with hip fractures.

Stem cells have anti-inflammatory properties that can help reduce pain and swelling associated with hip fractures. Inflammation is a natural reaction to tissue damage, but excessive inflammation can interfere with the healing process and cause pain and discomfort. Stem cells can help regulate the inflammatory response by releasing anti-inflammatory molecules such as cytokines and growth factors.

They can differentiate into various types of cells, including cartilage, muscle and bone. This means that stem cell therapy can potentially help restore not only bone tissue, but also surrounding soft tissues such as muscles and tendons that may be damaged during a hip fracture. At the same time, stem cells, when injected into the site of injury, differentiate into the necessary type of tissue as a result of interaction with the surrounding tissue without the need for any external intervention. Thus, stem cell therapy provides recovery after hip fracture, even if other methods are not effective.

Stem cell therapy is minimally invasive and has a low risk of complications. Treatment usually involves injecting stem cells into the fracture site with a thin needle. The procedure is performed under local anesthesia, and patients can usually return home the same day. It should be noted that operations to restore the integrity of the femoral neck are lengthy and traumatic, therefore, for patients with cardiological and other contraindications to such operations, stem cell therapy is the only available therapeutic option. For stem cell therapy of this kind, the patient’s own cells are used, so the risk of rejection or adverse reactions is low, and life-threatening or significantly impairing the quality of life complications have not been registered at the moment.

Hip fractures often require a long hospital stay and extensive rehabilitation. Stem cell therapy shortens the length of hospital stay and accelerates the recovery process, which leads to better results for patients.
In addition, stem cell therapy is not cheaper than joint reconstruction surgery, but at the same time it is much more profitable than a series of repeated hip reconstruction operations.

What are stem cells?

• Own stem cells — each person’s body normally has a certain number of stem cells. They are most often isolated from the blood, but they can also be isolated from adipose tissue. After that, the population of their own stem cells is increased to the required amount in a special laboratory and injected back into the patient’s body.
• Multipotent neural crest cells are human stem cells isolated at a certain stage in the development of the nervous system. These are donor stem cells. They have a higher potential for regeneration, but are more difficult to be tolerated by patients.
• Mesenchymal stem cells (umbilical cord MSCs) are the cells that are most effective in terms of regenerative properties. Rarely required in such simple clinical situations as a hip fracture.

How do I find out if a patient needs to receive a course of cell therapy for a hip fracture?

Cell therapy will help accelerate regeneration and make it more effective in any case, but in patients over the age of 65, or in patients who have undergone unsuccessful or ineffective treatment, indications for stem cell therapy are absolute.

How many courses are required for treatment?

This can be determined by the attending physician. As a rule, patients require 3 or 4 courses with a break of two weeks, but in each individual case, the treatment method may be different.

Which stem cells are selected for the treatment of hip fracture?

For this kind of treatment, the patient’s own stem cells are best suited, but if the patient belongs to an older age group, and he cannot allocate a sufficient number of stem cells or he cannot go through the procedure of stem cell isolation, donor stem cells are used.