Safe Reversal of Motor and Sensory Deficits by Repeated High Doses of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in a Patient with Chronic Complete Spinal Cord Injury

This case report evaluates the safety and effectiveness of using stem cells from Wharton's Jelly (WJ-MSCs) to treat a patient with a long-term, complete spinal cord injury. The study found the treatment to be safe, with no serious negative effects. The patient experienced improvements in both sensory and motor functions, and reported a better quality of life after receiving the stem cell injections. This suggests that WJ-MSCs could potentially help people with severe, long-lasting spinal cord injuries. Researchers believe the stem cells work by protecting the nerve cells that survived the initial injury, reducing inflammation, and encouraging the regeneration of damaged nerve tissue.

• 1
  The patient's ASIA grade improved from A to C, indicating an improvement in neurological function.
• 2
  Sensory function improved progressively, as measured by ASIA scores, from 72 to 96 by the end of the study.
• 3
  The patient regained voluntary anal contraction and partial urinary control, and his Spinal Cord Independence Measure III (SCIM III) score improved from 32 to 57.