title: Cellular cardiomyoplasty: a preliminary clinical report.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cellular cardiomyoplasty is the method of transplanting myogenic cells into injured myocardium to restore the lost heart muscle cells and to improve ventricular function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three patients, all with a history of coronary heart disease, underwent coronary artery bypass grafting and implantation of autologous satellite cells. A muscle biopsy of 2-4 g from the right vastus lateralis muscle was obtained for satellite cell (myogenic stem cell from skeletal muscle) isolation and proliferation before implanted into the donor's heart. The cells were suspended in serum-free medium and injected into 30-40 sites at and around the ischemic areas just before reversing the hypothermic cardioplegia to eliminate arrhythmia and to improve retention. After recovery, each patient was maintained at the intensive care unit for 3-4 days with ECG monitoring before transferring to the patient floor.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All patients survived the procedure with an uneventful recovery and were discharged from the hospital. At 3-4 months follow-up examination, increased left ventricular ejection fraction of 11% (35-46%), 5.4% (40-45.4%) and 1% (40-41%) and decreased left ventricular diastolic diameter of 4, 2 and 9 mm were observed for the patients, respectively. Arrhythmia was not detected during the follow-up evaluation by ECG. Improved perfusion (99mTC-MIBI) and increased metabolic activity (18F-deoxyglucose) were found at the sites of satellite cell implantation. Significant increase of wall thickness and movement at the areas of cell injection was also observed using 2D-echo.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Cellular cardiomyoplasty using autologous satellite cells is a safe procedure with encouraging beneficial outcomes in patients.
authors.affiliation: The First Affiliate Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, PR China.
authors.forename: Fumin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Xiang
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.forename: Zhi-Jian
authors.initials: ZJ
authors.lastname: Yiang
authors.forename: Wenzhu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Chuanfu
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Race L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Kao
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017690:Cell Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass / Q000379:methods*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000601:surgery*; D006321:Heart / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D032383:Myocytes, Cardiac / Q000502:physiology / Q000637:transplantation*; D016276:Ventricular Function / Q000502:physiology*