A pilot study to evaluate micro-fragmented adipose tissue injection under ultrasound guidance for the treatment of refractory rotator cuff disease in wheelchair users with spinal cord injury

In this single group pilot study, a series of  10 wheel-chair users with chronic moderate-to severe shoulder pain caused by refractory rotator cuff disease received an ultra-sound guided intra-articular injection of Lipogems-derived micro-fragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) and were monitored for pain, adverse events and also by ultrasound over a 12 month period. The study showed that 80% of the patients saw a noticeable reduction in pain and an improvement in functional capability, whilst there were no adverse effects recorded. This indicates that MFAT injection maybe a medium-long-term effective remedy for the treatment of chronic rotator cuff shoulder injury and the authors are currently involved in a large randomised controlled clinical trial to test this hypothesis.​