BACKGROUND: Clinically, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells combined with artificial bones for early osteonecrosis of the femoral head have a wonderful outcome.
OBJECTIVE: To review the biological properties of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and to summarize the application progress of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells combined with different artificial bones in the treatment of early osteonecrosis of the femoral head.
METHODS: PubMed (2003-2013), FMJS (2003-2013), Wanfang (2005-2013), CNKI (2005-2013) and CBM (2005-2013) databases were retrieved by computer using the keywords of “bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; artificial bone; osteonecrosis of the femoral head” in Chinese and English.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: It will lower the pressure of the femoral head, accelerate repair of the blood capillary, improve the blood supply, osteoblast proliferation and differentiation, and thus delay or even prevent artificial joint replacement after osteonecrosis of the femoral head by applying bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells combined with different artificial bones, such as corlline hydroxyapatite, calcium hydroxylaptite, biological ceramics and calcium sulfate bones. But now, there are still a lot of problems which need to be solved, including pathological mechanism underlying bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells for treatment of osteonecrosis of the femoral head, obvious difference between the quantity and quality of seed cells because of individual difference, different sites and culture techniques. So, artificial bone materials are under review, and large-sample randomized control trials are required. Its long-term outcomes also lack for follow-up observation, as well as there is no a unified quantitative standard for the appropriate selection of indication, curative effect evaluation and the awareness of the operation.