title: Effect of autologous bone-marrow cell transplantation on ischemic ulcer in patients with Buerger's disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Thromboangiitis obliterans, also known as Buerger's disease, is characterized by peripheral occlusive changes in the arteries of the upper and lower limbs and treatment is often ineffective. Intramuscular transplantation of autologous bone marrow-mononuclear cells (BM-MNC) has been recently reported as improving the symptoms and clinical manifestations in patients with severely ischemic limbs, mostly caused by arteriosclerosis obliterans. The present study focused on the patients with Buerger's disease presenting with rest pain and/or skin ulcer uncontrolled by conventional treatments.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fourteen patients with Buerger's disease (Fontaine III: n=2, Fontaine IV: n=12) underwent transplantation of autologous BM-MNC into ischemic skeletal muscles of either the upper or lower limb. After 4 weeks, rest pain was significantly reduced. In 19 skin ulcers of 9 patients, 8 ulcers were healed and 8 were diminished in the size. These improvements were maintained for 24 weeks without complications.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In patients with Buerger's disease, intramuscular transplantation of autologous BM-MNC improved symptoms and clinical manifestations, especially skin ulcer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardio-Vascular Medicine, Kurume University School of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: Yutaka
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Ken-ichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sasaki
authors.forename: Yousuke
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katsuda
authors.forename: Toyoaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Murohara
authors.forename: Yoshiaki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takeshita
authors.forename: Teiji
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okazaki
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Arima
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Katsuki
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shintani
authors.forename: Toshifumi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shimada
authors.forename: Hidetoshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akashi
authors.forename: Hisao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ikeda
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Imaizumi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016026:Bone Marrow Transplantation; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007511:Ischemia; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal; D010146:Pain; D013919:Thromboangiitis Obliterans / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014182:Transplantation, Autologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014456:Ulcer / Q000209:etiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy