Posted on 04/27/2006 9:37:29 PM PDT by Coleus
Some Twin Cities doctors are using stem cells to give relief to people who suffer from chronic pain in their knees. More than one million Americans will have a knee procedure this year to ease chronic pain, but any complications can have a painful cost.
One week after minimally invasive surgery, Andrew Gantman's knee is looking good and nearly pain-free. But his orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. Joel Boyd said Andrew has a 90 percent chance of developing arthritis in that knee at some point. "You may have patients who go onto arthritis within two to three years versus patients who go onto arthritis in 20 years," Boyd said. Gantman had the most common knee surgery in America, removing part of his meniscus.
Boyd decided to take a gamble when he volunteered to test an experimental stem cell therapy at TRIA Orthopaedic Center in Minneapolis. "I'm really excited and hope I'm one of the fortunate ones that gets the goods and not the placebo," Gantman said. The stem cells came from living adult bone marrow donor. When injected into the damaged knee, it's hoped they'll regenerate his meniscus, and grow new tissue.
"While these stem cells are trained to grow knee tissue, another version's being tested for repairing heart valves. And it's also thought it might be used to grow tendon, ligament and muscle tissue," said Ryan Graver, TRIA Research Director. "This is an opportunity to intervene in that cascade of injury early on to reduce the number of patients who develop osteoarthritis and potentially require that total knee replacement," he said. Early test results are so promising, another much larger national test is being planned for later this year.
Perhaps I've waited just long enough for somehing besides a knee replacement! I wonder, could my own stem cells be used for this procedure? I have one good knee joint with healthy meniscus ...
Yes, but what type of stem cells? The article doesn't say and is one of many lately touting "stem cells" when they are not fetal. IIRC the no fetal or "adult" stem cells are the ones working all the cures at the moment.
Read the article you idiot! Its right here: "The stem cells came from living adult bone marrow donor"
No need to be rude...
Sorry, its just that people that don't read the complete article cause me to get mad and talk to myself.
Now they've REALLY got my attention.
I always wonder if most insurance companies cover Adult stem cell treatments.
My question is, were the adult stem cells harvested from the recipient or not? The story doesn't address the issue of rejection in transplants.
At this time,Blue Cross of NC does not.
Nice. And nobody had to die. :)
lol
roses are red
violets are blue
i'm a schizophrenic
and i am too
Probably not if it's considered experimental.
Paging Mr.Keith Foulke, Keith Foulke you have a call from a Dr. Thomas J. Gill on line one.
I wonder if this procedure would help your friend?????
ping
"Blue Cross of NC does not."
Thank you. I have Blue Cross in NYS, so they probably don't have it, either.
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