Stem cells have been in the news again recently. These cells which are present in bone marrow, have the ability to turn into different tissues such as skin and bone. They have been used in orthopaedic surgery to help bone grafts turn into solid bone more quickly and completely. I have used them on a few occasions to treat Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the hip. In this painful condition, the blood supply to the weight-bearing part of the head of the femur is damaged, leading to softening of the bone and subsequent collapse. In some cases it is possible to drill into the bone and then pack bone graft and stem cells into femoral head to encourage the bone to heal, and hopefuly prevent collapse.

Stem cells are not a cure for osteoarthritis of the hip, and their use is very limited at the moment.

A worrying report from Canada recently stated that:

‘Premature enthusiasm and protocols that are not fully vetted are dangerous and result in negative publicity for the field of stem cell research, and more importantly, may result in disastrous outcomes with no benefit to the patient. Although there is promise, a large gap still exists between scientific knowledge and clinical translation for safe and effective stem cell-based therapies.’

These new forms of treatment must be regarded as ‘work in progress’.