Editorial Commentary: Precise Nomenclature Is Critical for Evaluating Progress in the Field of Lipoaspirate-Derived...

In a Level III study, the addition of adipose-based cell therapy significantly improved the clinical outcome and arthroscopic appearance of articular cartilage in patients with osteoarthritic varus ankles that were treated with the combinational operative techniques of lateral sliding calcaneal osteotomy and microfracture. Use of adipose-based therapies from lipoaspirate is increasing, with many different types of processing available, resulting in very different biological products. The mesenchymal stem cell therapy terminology used in the article could be more precise, and the contribution of adipose cells to the outcome is confounded by the surgical procedures performed. On the positive side, the article is a good start to encourage the orthopaedic community to provide the evidence both in clinical outcome and in determining what is in the mixture of cells administered to the patient, so that the efficacy of adipose-based cell therapy can be transparent and critically evaluated.