Cell-Enriched Lipoaspirate Arthroplasty: A Novel Approach to First Carpometacarpal Joint Arthritis

We report a novel, minimal invasive technique for the treatment of symptomatic arthritis of the carpometacarpal (CMC) joint of the thumb, here termed Cell-Enriched Liposaspirate Arthroplasty (CELA). For CELA, autologous fat tissue was harvested using standard liposuction technique followed by an extra-corporal cellular enrichment step. Finally, 1 ml of cell-enriched lipoaspirate was injected into the CMC-joint. Following CELA, the treated patient became pain free within five weeks with a follow-up of 12 months. We conclude that CELA performed on selected cases of arthritis of finger joints such as the basal joint of the thumb has the potential to greatly reduce or delay the necessity for more invasive procedures which tend to improve symptoms of pain at the cost of grip strength and range-of-motion.