Biological augmentation in rotator cuff repair: Cell therapies

Abstract

Mesenchymal stem cells are a "hot topic" in regenerative medicine, and orthopaedics draws fully from this research field in order to improve surgical and conservative treatments. Rotator cuff tear repair is one of the possible applications of stem cells: bone-marrow, adipose, tendon, and muscular tissues have all been studied as available source of multipotential cells. Promising clinical and radiological results emerge from early studies, but long-term follow-ups and randomized controlled studies have been performed before cell therapies would be routinely used in clinical practice.