An integrated mechanical–biological approach for early knee osteoarthritis with meniscal tears: combined arthroscopic debridement and stromal vascular fraction injection

Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of arthroscopic debridement (AD) combined with intra-articular stromal vascular fraction (SVF) injection in patients with early knee osteoarthritis (KOA) accompanied by symptomatic meniscal tears. Materials and Methods: The present retrospective study comprised 42 knees from 34 patients with Kellgren-Lawrence grade I–II OA who underwent same-session AD and autologous SVF injection. Adipose tissue harvested from the lower abdomen was processed in a closed sterile system to isolate SVF, which was injected intra-articularly following debridement. The severity of pain and the functionality of the affected joints were evaluated using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) before and after surgery. Results: The mean VAS score improved from 6.07 ± 0.91 preoperatively to 2.12 ± 1.62 at final follow-up (mean reduction: 3.95 points). The mean WOMAC score decreased from 59.50 ± 9.77 to 39.83 ± 12.20 (mean improvement: 19.67 points). Postoperatively, a significant positive correlation was identified between VAS and WOMAC scores, suggesting a potential association between pain reduction and functional improvement. Conclusion: The combination of AD and intra-articular SVF injection has been shown to result in encouraging clinical outcomes in early KOA with meniscal tears.