Stem Cell Treatment in India:

Stem cell treatment promises a major improvement in the body movement of cerebral palsy patients. Typically, stem cell treatment is a process of injecting stem cells taken from patients’ body, back into their spinal canal. Later on, the stem cells reach cerebrospinal fluid from spinal canal and eventually helps the cerebral palsy patient gain body movements.

Some of the places from which these stem cells can be extracted are the bone marrow and umbilical cord. The stem cells taken from bone marrow of the patient are called BMMNC (Bone Marrow Mononuclear Cells). Apart from BMMNC, the umbilical cord stem cells are also used. However, the former one often gives better results and is also cost-effective. The patient has a choice to select any one of the two methods to get better results. These days there is also another stem cell treatment available that uses sibling cord blood cells.

How Is It Done? 

The first step of treatment involves taking assessment tests of patients’ physical and mental health like a blood test, urine tests, and neurophysiology test. After that, the patient will have to undergo stem cells extraction process. The stem cells can either be taken from the bone marrow or adipose tissue as both these are the most efficient autologous sources available in one’s’ body. Sometimes depending on severity and requirement both sources can be used for better results.

Transplantation of Stem Cells:

The stem cells which are extracted from bone marrow of cerebral palsy patient will be sent to a laboratory to enrich with stem cell culture for purity and quality. In some methods, we can get stem cells which are more efficient than the existing ones by giving medicines to the patient for about 14 days before the bone marrow stem cells extraction operation. The enriched stem cells will be injected back into patient’s’ body by Intravenous or Intrathecal modes depending on the patient’s physiological and mental well-being.

In the Intravenous mode, infusion of stem cells will be done through a vein to the body and in the intrathecal mode which is also popularly known as Lumbar Puncture, stem cells will be infused into cerebrospinal fluid through the spinal canal.

The transplantation of stem cells into cerebral palsy patients’ body involves two BMMNC injections. After three months of the first injection, the second injection will be given and results will be monitored at about 3 or 6 months after the transplantation by measuring motor function and muscle tone.