[Treatment of lower limb ischemia with combination of traditional Chinese medicine and transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells: a report of 23 cases].

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effect of transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells combined with traditional Chinese medicine for the treatment of limb ischemia. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with limb ischemia were treated. G-CSF was used to stimulate the bone marrow. The mononuclear cells were separated from the aspirated bone marrow fluid in the stem cell studio. The cell amount was above 1x10(9). The transplantation was performed by the way of intra-muscular multi-injection. Traditional Chinese medicine for replenishing qi to activate blood was prescribed from the first day after operation. The pain, poikilothermia, ulcer or necrosis and ankle/brachial index (ABI) of the ischemic limb were evaluated before and after the treatment. RESULTS: The pain score and poikilothermia score decreased one month after the transplantation, with distinct differences as compared with the scores before the treatment (P<0.05). The ABI increased gradually after the treatment, and one month after the treatment, it was 0.15 higher than that before the treatment. CONCLUSION: Transplantation of autologous bone marrow mononuclear cells combined with traditional Chinese medicine can decrease the symptoms and signs of severe lower limb ischemia effectively, and improve the circulation of the ischemic area.