Abstract:

BACKGROUND: Intramuscular injection transplantation of autologous bone marrow stem cells for the treatment of limb ischemia has obtained good outcomes, which have been confirmed by animal test and clinic. Recently, small balloon dilatation is a common method to treat diabetic lower limb arteriosclerosis. However, stem cell transplantation and interventional therapy by catheter infusion of autologous bone marrow stem cells are commonly used to treat coronary artery disease, but seldom used for treating arterial occlusion of the lower limb.
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical efficacy of transplantation of autologous bone marrow stem cells for the treatment of diabetic lower limb arterial occlusion.
METHODS: From June 2007 to June 2009, a total of 51 patients with diabetic lower limb arterial occlusion (27 males and 24 females) were enrolled at the Department of Endocrinology, Geriatric Medicine Branch, Henan Provincial People’s Hospital, and randomly divided two groups. Patients in the experimental group underwent small balloon dilatation and autologous bone marrow stem cells transplantation. Patients in the control group received small balloon dilatation. Pain, cold feeling, intermittent claudication before and after transplantation were observed, as well as ankle brachial index changes and complications following transplantation were observed.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: At 2 week posttransplantation, remission rate, improvement rate and inefficiency of lower-limb pain symptom, cold feeling and intermittent claudication were significantly greater in the experimental group compared with the control group (P < 0.01). There were significant differences in ankle-brachial index changes (P < 0.01). No complication or adverse effects were observed. Results suggest that transplantation of autologous bone marrow stem cells through balloon dilatation might be a simple, safe and effective method for diabetic lower limb arterial occlusion.