Int J Stem Cells.  2012 May;5(1):76-78.

Clinical Response of 277 Patients with Spinal Cord Injury to Stem Cell Therapy in Iraq

• Hammadi AA
• Marino A
• Farhan S

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES
Spinal cord injury is a common neurological problem secondary to car accidents, war injuries and other causes, it may lead to varying degrees of neurological disablement, and apart from physiotherapy there is no available treatment to regain neurological function loss. Our aim is to find a new method using autologous hematopoietic stem cells to gain some of the neurologic functions lost after spinal cord injury.
METHODS AND RESULTS
277 patients suffering from spinal cord injury were submitted to an intrathecally treatment with peripheral stem cells. The cells were harvested from the peripheral blood after a treatment with G-CSF and then concentrated to 4~6 ml. 43% of the patients improved; ASIA score shifted from A to B in 88 and from A to C in 32. The best results were achieved in patients treated within one year from the injury.
CONCLUSIONS
Since mesenchymal cells increase in the peripheral blood after G-CSF stimulation, a peripheral blood harvest seems easier and cheaper than mesenchymal cell cultivation prior to injection. It seems reasonable treatment for spinal cord injury.

Keyword

Spine injury; Stem cells; Mesenchymal cells

MeSH Terms

Asia
Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor
Hematopoietic Stem Cells
Humans
Iraq
Spinal Cord
Spinal Cord Injuries
Stem Cells
Stress, Psychological
Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor