First time in Vietnam: Combination of Endoscopy and Stem cells cures joint degeneration

Pain in the knees, afraid to go up and down stairs, pain even while sitting still - these are the symptoms of joint degeneration. Treatments from acupuncture, acupressure to drink and western medication injections help with symptoms but do not reverse or heal the degenerative condition. Recently, autologous adipose tissue stem cell therapy to treat this disease is being offered at many places. At Vinmec International Hospital, our doctors have combined stem cell therapy with knee arthroscopy, providing significant and effective treatment for this disease.

How long does the treatment take?

Mrs. Hoang Anh (53 years old, Ha Noi) has had knee joint degeneration for 10 years. The pain in her knees was causing her legs to buckle and creating difficulty with walking. Knee cartilage deterioration, erosion, and flaking turned walking into a torment. Two years ago, Mrs. Hoang Anh had surgery to remove cartilage particles in herjoints, however, the pain did not decrease much. In March 2014, when Vinmec International Hospital started applying stem cell therapy for joint degeneration , Mrs. Hoang Anh was one of the first patients to participate. The doctors took a certain amount of fat from the abdomen of the patient, then extracted the stem cellsand injected them into the patients' knees. Surgeon, Dr. Vu Song Linh – Vinmec International Hospital’s Department of Orthopedic– Traumatology, performs arthroscopy before injecting the stem cells derived from the abdominal fat tissue. This process of endoscopy helps remove the degenerated material in the joints, cleaning and creating an environment conducive to maximum differentiationof stem cells, unleashing all the positive effects. Stem cells will differentiate into new cartilage cells, actually reconstructing joints for patients. The whole process takes about 4 hours and patients can be released from the hospital after 1 day.

The process of endoscopy before injecting stem cells is like cleaning, creating an environment for maximum differentiation of stem cells, unleashing all effects.

Mrs. Hoang Anh said that after 2 days of treatment, she was able to walk slowly using crutches. After 10 more days, she was able to discontinue the use of crutches. Two months later after rehabilitation training, the left knee treated with stem cell injections did not hurt anymore and she could walk normally. The result of magnetic resonance imaging showed that 3 months later, her articular cartilage was thicker, increasing from 1.4cm to 2.7cm, and the left leg joint was firm. She said that she would pursue the treatment for her right knee soon, to completely eradicate the pain associated with the knee osteoarthritis which has haunted her for the past 10 years.

After being treated with arthroscopy in combination with stem cell therapy, Mrs. Hoang Anh was able to walk without the pain of knee osteoarthritis which has haunted her for the past 10 years.

Mrs. Hoang Thi La (68 years old, Hai Phong) - was also one of the early patients at Vinmec International Hospital using stem cell therapy to cure joint pain, and was pain-free after 6 months. Suffering for 20 years with arthritis, Mrs. La had been to many places seeking treatment, however, the treatments only alleviated the pain for a short time. Her children bought milk as a calcium supplement for her, but she sometimes felt that her swollen knees were as big as 400g milk cans. When her left knee was completely cured by stem cell injection, she was very happy to be able to walk again, exercise with friends, and cook normally for her family as before.

Who can be treated with stem cells?

Dr. Vu Song Linh states that the success ofjoint degeneration treatment is assessed using 3 criteria: the level of pain relief, joint function such as walking confidence, and the firmness of the joint. However, stem cell therapy is only applied for joint degeneration levels 2 and 3, without anyother diseases in the joint or joint infection. Drug treatment is still an effective option with level 1 joint degeneration. At level 4, artificial joint replacement is required.

Stem cell therapy is suitable for patients with joint degeneration levels 2 and 3, withoutother diseases in the joint or joint infection.

Patients using stem cell transplants to cure joint degeneration will be monitored periodically at 1, 3,and6 months, and after that once per year. Thus, the first patients with this treatment at Vinmecshowed remarkable results after six months following treatment combining endoscopy with stem cell injections. This treatment differs from any being offered in other Hanoi hospitals at this time. Joint degeneration can occur in any joints throughout the body. However, stem cell therapy for knee joint degeneration has been initially successful and recognized by the world medical community.

For more information about this therapy, the interview of Dr. Vu Song Linhwith the Voice of Vietnam in the program "Healthcare and public health" is to be broadcast at 11:30 and replayed at 17:00 on November 17, 2014.Visit the website www.vov2.vn to listen online.

Joint degeneration usually occurs in older people,especially women after menopause. Hormone changes can increase the risk of bone loss, leading to osteoporosis and potentially joint degeneration.Unfortunately, the disease also occurs in young people, mainly due to inactivity, overwork, or poor posture over a long time. Joint degeneration progresses very slowly, quietly, and with barely recognizable signs. Joint degeneration usually has the following main symptoms: - During or after exercise, or after a period of inactivity, patients have joint pain. - Hard swelling in joints, most clearly felt after exercise. - Spiny protrusions in the middle or on top of the knuckles or thumb joints. - Significantly reduced joint soundness, with patients describingloose knees, loss of feeling in the legs when walking. When recognizing these symptoms, patients should consult a doctor with joint expertise in order to determine a correct diagnosis and current stage of the disease. Patientsare warned about self-treatment with medication. Pain relief medication with corticoid is easy to abuseand, although it can relieve pain temporarily, could make the disease progress quicker and causeother detrimental side effects.