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Journal of Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine
Volume 1, Issue 1 Euro Physiotherapy 2017
Notes:
Page 58
December 07-08, 2017 Rome, Italy
4th Euro-Global Physiotherapy Congress 2017
Autologous bone marrow-derived cell
therapy combined with physical therapy
induces functional improvement in chronic
spinal cord injury patients
Wael Abo El-kheir1, Hala Gabr2, Mohamed Reda Awad3, Osama
Ghannam4, Yousef Barakat4, Haithem A M A Farghali5, Zeinab M El
Maadawi6 , Ibrahim Ewes4 and Hatem E Sabaawy7
1Military Medical Academy, Egypt
2Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
3Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
4Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
5Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
6Department of Histology, Egypt
7Rutgers–Cancer Institute of New Jersey, USA
Spinal cord injuries (SCI) cause sensory loss and
motor paralysis and are treated with physical therapy,
but most patients fail to recover due to limited neural
regeneration. Here we describe a strategy in which
treatment with autologous adherent bone marrow cells
is combined with physical therapy to improve motor and
sensory functions in early-stage chronic SCI patients. In a
phase I/II controlled single-blind clinical trial (clinicaltrials.
gov identifier: NCT00816803), 70 chronic cervical and
thoracic SCI patients with injury durations of at least 6
months were treated with either intrathecal injection(s)
of autologous adherent bone marrow cells combined
with physical therapy, or with physical therapy alone.
Patients were evaluated with clinical examinations,
electrophysiological somatosensory evoked potential, MRI
imaging, and functional independence measurements.
Chronic cervical and thoracic SCI patients treated with
autologous adherent bone marrow cells combined with
physical therapy showed functional improvements over
patients in the control group treated with physical therapy
alone, and therewere no cell therapy-related side
18 months posttreatment, 23 of the 50 cell therapy-treated
cases (46 percent) showed sustained improvement using
the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) Impairment
Scale (AIS). Compared to those patients with cervical
injuries, a higher rate of functional improvement was
achieved in thoracic SCI patients with shorter durations of
injury and smaller cord lesions. Therefore, when combined
with physical therapy, autologous adherent bone marrow
cell therapy appears to be a safe and promising therapy
for patients with chronic spinal cord injuries. Randomized
controlled multicenter trials are warranted.
Biography
Wael Abo El-Kheir is currently works as Professor of immunology &
Microbiology in military medical academy and he is the member of
the national committee for stem cells Egyptian ministry of health and also
honor as secretary of the Egyptian society of stem cells.
Wael Abo El-kheir et al., J Phys Ther Sports Med 2017