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. 2020 Oct;88(4):661-668.
doi: 10.1002/ana.25842. Epub 2020 Jul 29.

Complications from "Stem Cell Tourism" in Neurology

Katherine Julian  1   2 , Nicholas Yuhasz  1 , Widjan Rai  1 , Jose A Salerno  1   3 , Jaime Imitola  1   2   4
Affiliations

Complications from "Stem Cell Tourism" in Neurology

Katherine Julian et al. Ann Neurol. 2020 Oct.

Abstract

"Stem cell tourism," the practice of offering unproven cellular preparations to patients as approved therapy, is rising in neurology. Currently, the experiences of patients and reported complications from these procedures are unknown in the United States. We evaluate academic neurologists' experiences with stem cell tourism and assess perceived competency on discussing this topic with patients. We found a lack of neurologist preparedness to discuss stem cell therapies with patients and an alarming list of unreported complications from these unregulated procedures. We also identified an urgent need for neurologist education and the creation of a national registry for reporting patient complications resulting from experimental stem cell interventions. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:661-668.

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References

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