Background: Adipose tissue is an abundant source of
mesenchymal stem cells. The use of transplantation of preadipocytes
and adipocytes to restore the volume of tissues
has added a lot to the value of fat transplantation strategies.
These cells are more advantageous as a cell source than mature
adipocytes. They are capable of both proliferating to obtain
larger cell numbers and of differentiating to obtain the tissue
of interest. This study aims to compare the results of traditional
fat injection and activated adipose derived mesenchymal stem
cells injection enriched with platelet rich fibrin matrix in
augmentation and rejuvenation of the distal leg.
Patients and Methods: The study was conducted on 14
patients who had fat injection of the leg. They were divided
into 2 groups: 7 cases by traditional fat injection and 7 cases
by injection of (PRFM) with the adipose derived mesenchymal
stem cells. Post-operative assessment at 3, 6, 18 months were
done subjectively. Patients in group 11 were subjected to
monthly injection of platelet rich plasma. The final results in
each patient were evaluated according to the comparison of
pre-and post-operative photos and measurements of circumference
for the degree of improvement by the patients. Three
populations including the patient herself, a surgeon not involved
in the procedure and nurse were subjected to standardized
questionnaire.
Results: All patients were treated bilaterally, they knoticed
that the use of fat grafting not only provided a volumetric
effect but also improved the quality of skin. They felt their
skin is thicker, firmer with less wrinkles and pigmentation
and less need for moisturizers.
Conclusion: Mixing fat containing activated mesenchymal
stem cells with platelet rich fibrin matrix gave better long
lasting results than traditional fat injection as regarding both
volume and skin quality.