Stem cells have been found to have a number of medical benefits, and now they could be used to improve plastic surgery.
Fat grafting is a common technique used in reconstructive surgery, but it has a resorption rate of 25 percent to 80 percent, a Lancet summary reported.
"This procedure is used in breast reconstruction after cancer treatment; in the treatment of burn scars, congenital malformations, and post-traumatic malformations; for rejuvenation; and for the treatment of other conditions," study researchers wrote, MedPage Today reported.
A small Dutch study compared grafts enriched with autologous adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) and those without. The team injected the enriched substance into one arm of a participant and the non-enriched into the other. The study subjects had all requested liposuction in their abdominal area, the trial began with 13 volunteers but complications caused three to drop out.
The ACS enriched-fat was found to have "significantly higher residual volumes," the Lancet reported.
he procedure of ASC-enriched fat grafting had excellent feasibility and safety. These promising results add significantly to the prospect of stem cell use in clinical settings, and indicate that ASC graft enrichment could render lipofilling a reliable alternative to major tissue augmentation, such as breast surgery, with allogeneic material or major flap surgery," the researchers said on the Lancet report.
Some medical experts have raised concerns that the injections could cause cancer. The four-month-long study did not find any evidence of increased vessel density or malignant growth in the patients.
"Although there is little evidence that adipose stromal cells themselves will transform into malignant tumor cells, the release of growth factors that are beneficial in the healing process could also stimulate cancer cells," the researchers said, MedPage Today reported.
Since the study had a small number of participants and took place over a short period of time further trials will be necessary to determine the safety and effectiveness of the injections.
"This is a first step, but I think we need many more studies that look at the possibility of utilizing adipose-derived stem cells with fat transfer in a prospective, randomized fashion around the country and around the world," Lyle Leipziger of North Shore University Hospital in N.Y., told MedPage Today.
