TABLE 4.
Clinical studies using stem cells for isolated chondral lesions and associated injection vehicle.
| Author (Year) | Chondral defect | Joint (n) | Cell type | Vehicle | Implantation method |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buda et al. (2013) | ICRS grade 3–4 | Knee (30) | BM-MSCs | HA membrane or collagen membrane | Arthroscopic placement |
| Saw et al. (2013) | ICRS grade 3–4 | Knee (50) | PB-MSCs | HA | Post-op injection |
| Akgun et al. (2015) | Single full-thickness femoral condylar chondral defects | Knee (18) | SD-MSCs | Collagen I/III membrane shaped to lesion and sutured in place | Open mini-arthrotomy |
| Koh et al. (2016) | Single symptomatic cartilage lesion ≥3 cm2 | Knee (80) | AT-MSCs | Fibrin glue (cell-thrombin suspension + fibrinogen) | Injection under arthroscopic guidance |
| de Windt et al. (2017) | full-thickness defect of 2–8 cm2 | Knee (35) | BM-MSCs | Fibrin glue with chondrocytes | Open mini-arthrotomy |
| Kamei et al. (2018) | >50% thickness, >2 cm2 | Knee (5) | BM-MSCs | Saline | Injection under arthroscopic guidance |
| Shimomura et al. (2018) | ICRS grade 3–4 | Knee (5) | SD-MSCs | MSCs and their ECM in saline | Arthroscopic placement |
| de Girolamo et al. (2019) | ICRS grade 3–4, 2–8 cm2 | Knee (24) | BM-MSCs | Chondro-Gide® collagen type I/III bilayer matrix and fibrin glue | Open mini-arthrotomy |
| Gobbi and Whyte (2019) | ICRS grade 4, ≥1 cm2 | Knee (23) | BM-MSCs | Hyalofast® non-woven benzyl ester of HA biodegradable scaffold | Open mini-arthrotomy |
| Hashimoto et al. (2019) | ICRS grade ≥3, ≥2 cm2 | Knee (11) | BM-MSCs | HA | Injection under arthroscopic guidance |
| Monckeberg et al. (2019) | ICRS grade 3b | Knee (20) | PB-MSCs | PRP | Injection under arthroscopic guidance |
| Pipino et al. (2019) | Outerbridge III–IV | Knee (69) | AT-MSCs | JointRep™ PG/GC hydrogel matrix | Arthroscopic placement |
| Kyriakidis et al. (2020) | ICRS grade 3–4, >2 cm2 | Knee (25) | AT-MSCs | Hyalofast® non-woven benzyl ester of HA biodegradable scaffold | Arthroscopic placement |
| Neckar et al. (2022) | Outerbridge III–IV, 1.9 ± 0.3 cm2 | Knee (6) | BM-MSCs | Chondrotissue® resorbable scaffold composed of PA and HA, Tisseel fibrin sealant | Open mini-arthrotomy |
| Shetty et al. (2022) | ICRS grade 3–4, ≤8 cm2 | Knee (32) | BM-MSCs | HA | Post-op injection |
| Venosa et al. (2022) | Outerbridge IV < 2 cm2 | Knee (38) | AT-MSCs | PRP | Injection under arthroscopic guidance |
| Abdelhamid et al. (2023) | Single focal, full-thickness cartilage defect 2–10 cm2< | Knee (10) | AT-MSCs with allogenic hyaline cartilage powder | Solidified autograft with allogenic hyaline cartilage powder implants on a 3D printed polycaprolactone scaffold, with fibrin glue | Open limited arthrotomy |
| Song et al. (2023) | Outerbridge III–IV, >4 cm2 | Knee (85) | UC-MSCs | Sodium hyaluronate | Open mini-arthrotomy |
AT, adipose tissue-derived; BM, bone marrow derived; HA, hyaluronic acid; ICRS, international cartilage repair society; MSCs, mesenchymal stromal cells; PB, peripheral blood; PBS, phosphate buffered saline; PA, polyglycolic acid; PG/GC, polyglucosamine/glucosamine carbonate; PRP, platelet rich plasma; SD, synovial-derived; UC, umbilical cord-derived.