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Updated: Jul 5, 2026
Intramyocardial Cell Delivery: Observations in Murine Hearts
Published on: January 24, 2014
Effect of intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection on diastolic function in patients with chronic myocardial
Saskia L M A Beeres1, Hildo J Lamb, Stijntje D Roes
1Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Insights
Intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection improved diastolic function in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia. This therapy enhanced key parameters measured by MRI and tissue Doppler imaging, offering a potential new treatment avenue.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Regenerative Medicine
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Chronic myocardial ischemia significantly impairs cardiac function, particularly diastolic function.
- Refractory angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society class III-IV) indicates severe disease with limited treatment options.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the impact of intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection on diastolic function in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.
Main Methods:
- Twenty-four patients with refractory angina received intramyocardial injections of bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells.
- Diastolic function was evaluated using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) at baseline and three months post-procedure.
Main Results:
- MRI showed a significant increase in the early (E) peak filling rate (P=0.04) and the E/A peak flow ratio (P=0.02).
- TDI revealed significant improvements in early diastolic velocity (E') (P=0.03) and the E'/A' ratio (P=0.02).
- Late diastolic filling rates and velocities (A and A') remained unchanged.
Conclusions:
- Intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection effectively improved diastolic function parameters in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.
- The study highlights the potential of cell therapy to enhance cardiac diastolic mechanics in ischemic heart disease.
Purpose:
To evaluate the effect of intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection on diastolic function in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia.
Materials And Methods:
In 24 patients (19 male; 65 +/- 9 years) with refractory angina (Canadian Cardiovascular Society [CCS] class III-IV) 84.6 +/- 28.7 x 10(6) bone marrow-derived mononuclear cells were injected intramyocardially (using the NOGA system) in regions with ischemia on Tc-99m tetrofosmin single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Diastolic function was evaluated at baseline and at three months using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI).
Results:
MRI revealed an increased early (E) peak filling rate (374 +/- 121 mL/second vs. 412 +/- 102 mL/second; P = 0.04), whereas the atrial (A) peak filling rate remained unchanged (340 +/- 81 mL/second vs. 334 +/- 93 mL/second; P = not significant [NS]). The E/A peak flow ratio increased from 1.09 +/- 0.33 to 1.23 +/- 0.47 at three months (P = 0.02). TDI demonstrated a significant improvement in early diastolic velocity (E') from 4.4 +/- 1.7 cm/second to 4.8 +/- 1.6 cm/second at three months (P = 0.03), whereas the late diastolic velocity (A') remained unchanged (6.0 +/- 1.6 cm/second vs. 6.0 +/- 1.7 cm/second; P = NS). Consequently, the E'/A' ratio increased from 0.74 +/- 0.19 to 0.84 +/- 0.28 at three months (P = 0.02).
Conclusion:
Intramyocardial bone marrow cell injection in patients with chronic myocardial ischemia improved MRI and TDI-derived parameters of diastolic function.
