In Atlas General Hospital most cutting edge operations of the hip and knee are performed with the use of stem cells. It is a method that is used in our country exclusively in Atlas General Hospital.
Stem cells-solution for damaged meniscus or cartilage
When it is about the knee surgery, patient came with serious chronic pain due to meniscus and cartilage damage. However this kind of treatment is possible only in case the disease is not in advanced stage. The age when this kind of problems occur is around forty and sixty.
„Correct name of the intervention is subcortical decompression of subchondral bone and implantation of stem cells taken from bone marrow. With help of this intervention in six months normal bone structure should form at place where knee started to deteriorate, or surgery is delayed for some time, and maybe for good. It is essential that patients come at the very beginning of the knee degenerative problems until arthrosis is not advanced, explained dr Gordan Gavrilović. orthopedic surgeon.
During operation inner part of the knee is inspected, so stem cells entered into the bone. After that on the damaged place stem cells are entered.
„Stem cells are taken from proximal tibia, or so to say, shinbone. It is simple cut that is long only 7 mm through which in just five minutes we get enough of bone marrow. This bone marrow is further processed so to get substrate from it which is called aspirate of bone marrow. Aspirate of bone marrow contains millions of stem cells in each milliliter. It is additionally placed on the damaged places”, explains regenerative medicine specialist, dr Džihan Abazović.
Stem cells – hope for serious hip damage
This particular hip operation is with serious damage of both hips. In the damaged hip stem cells with combination of hyaluronic acid are injected, and in the hip with somehow milder damage the same content was injected with addition of leukocytes and erythrocytes.
„Intervention is actually a try to get some time for a young person, usually several years until total hip replacement is needed, which in this case, unfortunately is inevitable. The previous results of this technique in initial degenerative changes have shown excellent results”, says dr Gavrilović.
Both interventions are done under total anesthesia, they are not complicated and last on average for half an hour, after which patient immediately can go home and is able for normal life activities.
Recommendation of the doctor for patients is that in such cases they should immediately come for a check up so the intervention could have good result.
