High tibial osteotomy in combination with arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty and autologous adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cell therapy in the treatment of advanced knee osteoarthritis.

Osteoarthritis is a progressive and debilitating condition. An increasing number of total knee replacements are being performed under the age of 65. Improved understanding of the action of mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) has seen renewed interest in their role in cartilage repair. A 43-year-old man presented with grade IV medial compartment knee osteoarthritis. The patient underwent high tibial osteotomy (HTO) and arthroscopic abrasion arthroplasty in combination with adipose-derived MSC therapy. The patient reported improvement in pain and function as measured by validated outcome scores. Repeat MRI including T2 mapping techniques showed hyaline-like cartilage regeneration. This case highlights the potential benefit of surgical interventions including HTO in combination with MSC therapy in early-onset severe osteoarthritis. This technique may considerably delay or prevent the need for total knee replacement in young patients. Further controlled trials are needed to confirm the reproducibility of this outcome.