Six-month results of suprachoroidal adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell implantation in patients with optic atrophy: a phase 1/2 study.

Purpose This prospective clinical case series aimedto investigate the safety and efficacy of suprachoroidaladipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cell(ADMSC) implantation in patients with optic nervediseases.Methods This prospective, single-center, phase 1/2study enrolled 4 eyes of 4 patients with optic atrophyof various reasons who underwent suprachoroidal implantation of ADMSCs. The best-corrected visualacuity (BCVA) in the study wasHMat 1 m. The worseeye of the patient was operated. Patients wereevaluated on the first day, first week, first month, thirdand sixth months postoperatively. BCVA, anteriorsegment and fundus examination, color photography,optical coherence tomography (OCT) and visual fieldexamination were carried out at each visit. Fundusfluorescein angiography and multifocal electroretinography(mfERG) recordings were performedat the end of the first, third and sixth months andanytime if necessary during the follow-up.Results All 4 patients completed the six-monthfollow-up. None of them had any systemic or ocularcomplications. All of the patients experienced visualacuity improvement, visual field improvement andimprovement in the mfERG recordings. We foundchoroidal thickening in OCT of the 4 patients.Conclusion Even though the sample size is small,the improvements were still encouraging. Stem celltreatment with suprachoroidal implantation ofADMSCs seems to be safe and effective in thetreatment for optic nerve diseases that currently haveno curative treatment options.</p