Objectives:

To describe the therapeutic effect of the stem cell use in managing osteonecrosis of the femoral head.

Methods:

A search was carried out in the different databases as Pubmed / MEDLINE, BVS and Cochrane for the last 10 years, including relevant meta-analysis studies, clinical trials and reviews. In addition, the official website of the World Health Organization was checked for additional references. The search words were: “(“ Stem Cells ”OR“ Stem Cell Transplantation ”[Mesh] OR“ Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation ”[Mesh] OR Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation” [Mesh] OR Cell-and Tissue-Based Therapy ”[ Mesh] “Multipotent Stem Cells” [Mesh] OR “Embryonic Stem Cells” [Mesh]) AND (“Osteonecrosis” [Mesh] OR “Femur Head Necrosis” [Mesh] “osteonecrosis of the femoral head” OR "Femoral head"). We include a total of 7 studies, 2 meta-analyzes, 2 review articles, 2 controlled and randomized clinical trials, and one evidence study.

Findings:

All the studies showed that stem cell therapy in managing osteonecrosis of the femoral head is safe and effective. The combined treatment of central decompression plus stem cell implantation showed greater effectiveness.

Conclusions:

Stem cell therapy is a therapeutic option to treat osteonecrosis of the femoral head, especially in the early stages. The combination of central decompression plus the infiltration of stem cells in the necrotic area produces an improvement in the symptoms and contains the progress of the disease.

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