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Case Reports
. 2022 Dec 6;10(34):12665-12670.
doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v10.i34.12665.

Repair of a large patellar cartilage defect using human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells: A case report

Jun-Seob Song  1 , Ki-Taek Hong  1 , Ki Jeon Song  2 , Seok Jung Kim  3
Affiliations
Case Reports

Repair of a large patellar cartilage defect using human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells: A case report

Jun-Seob Song et al. World J Clin Cases. .

Abstract

Background: Patellar dislocation may cause cartilage defects of various sizes. Large defects commonly require surgical treatment; however, conventional treatments are problematic.

Case summary: A 15-year-old male with a large patellar cartilage defect due to patellar dislocation was treated via human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell (hUCB-MSC) implantation. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this treatment for this purpose. The patient recovered well as indicated by good visual analog scale, International Knee Documentation Committee and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index scores. Magnetic resonance imaging showed cartilage regeneration 18 mo postoperatively.

Conclusion: Umbilical cord blood-derived hUCB-MSCs may be a useful treatment option for the repair of large patellar cartilage defects.

Keywords: Cartilage defect; Case report; Magnetic resonance imaging; Mesenchymal stem cells; Patellar dislocation; Umbilical cord.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors report no relevant conflict of interest for this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Magnetic resonance images. A: T2-weighted, a fat-suppressed axial image showing a cartilage defect (arrow) on the medial side of the patella and patellar dislocation with a medial patellofemoral ligament tear; B: T2-weighted, a fat-suppressed sagittal image showing a large amount of hemarthrosis and detached patellar cartilage (arrow) in the infrapatellar area; C: Proton density axial image showing regeneration of the patellar cartilage (arrow) and a normal patellar position, with the healing of the medial patellofemoral ligament, 18 mo after surgery; D: Proton fat-suppressed sagittal image showing patellar cartilage regeneration (arrow) 18 mo after surgery.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Surgical procedures of the patellar defect. A: Exposed large subchondral bone on the medial patellar facet; B: After multiple drillings on the subchondral bone; C: After implantation of the human umbilical cord, blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells into the defect.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Stem cell product preparation. A: The left vial contains hyaluronic acid, and the right vial contains hUCB-MSCs; B: Aspirated hUCB-MSCs are injected into the hyaluronic acid vial; C: The hUCB-MSCs with hyaluronic acid are mixed; D: The mixture of hUCB-MSCs and hyaluronic acid is transferred into a syringe.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Clinical improvement. Visual analog scale, International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC), visual analog scale (VAS), and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores show clinical improvement 2 years after human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cell implantation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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