TDK conference 2017

Elbow dysplasia is the commonest cause of forelimb lameness in dogs. In addition to the basic articular incongruence, the condition has 3 distinct clinical forms: ununited anconeal process, fragmented medial coronoid process, and osteochondrosis developing on the articular surface of the medial humeral condyle. All four forms involve arthrosis. The objective of this study was to determine whether an injection of allogenic adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (AD-MSC) administered into the elbow joint is effective in alleviating the signs of arthrosis, with particular regard to relieving pain and improving the quality of life. We used intraarticular stem cell injection to utilize the very pronounced anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects of stem cells. As a first step, we selected young vaccinated dogs suitable for stem cell isolation, which had previously been screened for the absence of infectious diseases that cannot be prevented by vaccination. During routine neutering, adipose tissue was taken from the dogs and used for obtaining the so-called stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cell suspension, about 1% of which is constituted by mesenchymal stem cells of pericyte/endothelial type. This was followed by selective culture resulting in a pure stem cell culture, which was then propagated to the required quantity through multiple passages. The MSCs identified by microscopy and staining were distributed into doses of 3–4 million cells each and stored in liquid nitrogen until used. When selecting dogs for the study, we considered it important that all dogs should meet the same criteria. Dogs eligible for the treatment had to be past the possibility of surgical management (subtotal medial coronoidectomy by an arthroscopic procedure, performed by the same surgeon). Before the intervention, the selected dogs were subjected to detailed orthopaedic examination and two-way radiographs were taken of their elbow joint, which demonstrated the presence of arthrosis. A total of 9 dogs were included in the study, and check-up examinations were performed 1, 2 and 4 months after the injection. At each check-up examination the dogs were subjected to physical examination and their owners were asked to complete a questionnaire. Statistical analysis (2-sample t-test) of the evaluation made by the dog owners by scoring demonstrated a significant improvement (P<0.05) compared to the baseline status in the dogs’ mobility during walk, after a long rest and during the performance of difficult tasks at all the three time points tested. In summary, it can be stated that intraarticular stem cell therapy is a promising method which enables us to improve the quality of life of dogs suffering from painful arthrosis no longer amenable to any type of surgical management and not responding to conservative treatment either, for a relatively long time. The method does not have any side effects and ensures maximum owner satisfaction.