Chondrogenesis with Autologous Peripheral Blood Stem Cells for End-Stage Ankle Arthritis: Report of Three Cases

Abstract

End-stage ankle arthritis represents an “unmet medical need”, awaiting an appropriate time for joint arthroplasty or arthrodesis. We report three cases of end-stage ankle arthritis treated along the principles developed for chondrogenesis of the knee joint with autologous peripheral blood stem cells, resulting in reversal of the ankle arthritis. The improvement in clinical outcome measure scores (Ankle Osteoarthritis Scale total score) with a minimum two-year follow-up were comparable to total ankle replacement (TAR), arthroscopic ankle arthrodesis (AAA) and open ankle arthrodesis (OAA).

Keywords

• end-stage ankle arthritis
• massive chondral defects
• chondrogenesis
• peripheral blood stem cells
• marrow stimulation