Cell transplantation therapy in re-animating severely head-injured patients.

The results of controlled, retrospective clinical investigation of applying cell transplantation (CT) therapy in 38 severely head-injured patients are presented. The patients initially were in state of coma (Glasgow coma scale score 3--7), owing to their traumatic brain injuries. Cells prepared from fetal nervous and hematopoietic tissues were grafted subarachnoidally via lumbar puncture. The control group consisted of 38 patients and was clinically comparable with the trial one. From the results obtained it appears that CT treatment promoted both wakening consciousness of the patients and their following neurological rehabilitation. A death-rate in the trial and control group was 5% (two cases) and 45% (17 cases), respectively. According to a Glasgow scale, favorable (good+satisfactory) outcomes of a disease were noted in 33 (87%) cell-grafted and only in 15 (39%) control patients. Statistical analysis revealed that CT treatment generally improved the outcomes by 2.5-fold. No serious complications of CT therapy were noted. The results point out a possible rationality of applying CT therapy in severely head-injured patients as early as within acute period of a disease.

Transplantation treatment of spinal cord injury patients.

The minimally manipulated cells from fetal nervous and hemopoietic tissues (gestational age 16-22 weeks) were subarachnoidally implanted into 15 patients (18-52 years old) with severe consequences of traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) at cervical or thoracic spine level. The times after SCI were from 1 month to 6 years. Each patient underwent from one to four cell transplantations (CT) with various time intervals. In 11 of 15 cases, CT was combined with an operative partial disruption of a connective tissue cyst and with implantation into a spinal cord lesion of a spinal cord fragment together with olfactory ensheathing cells. Before CT the patients showed complete motor and sensory function disorder consistent with a grade A of SCI according to Frankel classification. With CT treatment, six patients improved their neurological status from A to C grade of SCI, exhibiting incomplete restoration of both motor and sensory function. The status of other five CT-treated patients became consistent with SCI grade B and was characterized by appearance of contracting activity in some muscles and incomplete restoration of sensitivity. The remaining four patients did not exhibit any clinical improvements. No serious complications of CT were noted. The results suggest a clinical relevance of the CT-based approach to treating severe consequences of SCI.