• Liem Thanh Nguyen, Anh Tuan Nguyen, Chinh Duy Vu, Doan V Ngo, and Anh V Bui.
• Stem cells and Gene Technology Research Center, Vinmec International Hospital, 458 Minh Khai Street, Hanoi, Vietnam. v.liemnt-ceo@vinmec.com.
• Bmc Pediatr. 2017 Apr 12; 17 (1): 104.

BackgroundStem cell therapy has emerged as a promising method for improving motor function of patients with cerebral palsy. The aim of this study is to assess the safety and effectiveness of autologous bone marrow mononuclear stem cell transplantation in patients with cerebral palsy related to oxygen deprivation.MethodsAn open label uncontrolled clinical trial was carried out at Vinmec International Hospital. The intervention consisted of two administrations of stem cells, the first at baseline and the second 3 months later. Improvement was monitored at 3 months and 6 months after the first administration of stem cells, using the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM) and Modified Ashworth Score which measures muscle tone.ResultsNo severe complications were recorded during the study. After transplantation, 12 patients encountered fever without infections and 9 patients experienced vomiting which was easily managed with medications. Gross motor function was markedly improved 3 months or 6 months after stem cell transplantation than at baseline. The post-transplantation GMFM-88 total score, each of its domains and the GMFM-66 percentile were all significantly higher (p-value < 0.001). Muscle spasticity also reduced significantly after transplantation (p-value < 0.001). The therapy was equally effective regardless of sex, age and GMFCS level (p-value > 0.05).ConclusionAutologous bone marrow mononuclear cell transplantation appears to be a safe and effective therapy for patients with cerebral palsy.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02569775 . Retrospectively registered on October 15, 2015.

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