Outcomes after micronized fat adipose transfer for glenohumeral joint arthritis and rotator cuff pathology: A case series of 18 shoulders

Abstract

Background. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and clinical outcomes of patients treated with micro-fragmented adipose tissue for shoulder pain secondary to glenohu-meral osteoarthritis and rotator cuff pathology. Methods. 16 patients (18 shoulders) who had failed previous conservative therapies and received a single injection of micro-fragmented adipose tissue for shoulder pathol-ogy. Outcomes including pain, disability, and safety were assessed at minimum of six months. Results. Significant improvements in visual analog scale scores (p < 0.001) and pain disability index scores (p = 0.02) with no major adverse events were observed at six months. Conclusions. Micro-fragmented adipose tissue may be helpful to improve pain and function in a subset of patients with chronic glenohumeral osteoarthritis and rotator cuff tears. No major complications were identified in our case series.