What is Lipogems?
Lipogems is an innovative technology that processes minimal quantities of adipose tissue in a completely closed system. The tissue is gently harvested from preferred donor sites (abdominal region, flanks, gluteal region, thighs). The adipose tissue processing eliminates inflammatory components (oil, blood, cellular debris) and reduces tissue cluster size, resulting in a homogeneous and highly manageable final product suitable for intra-articular infiltration of shoulder, knee, hip, ankle, and other tendinous and ligamentous structures. FDA approval was obtained in December 2016.
Orthopedic Lipogems
The primary orthopedic indications for Lipogems regenerative treatment include degenerative arthritic processes affecting articular cartilage (degenerative chondropathy), degeneration and/or inflammatory lesions of menisci and all peri-articular tendinous and ligamentous structures causing pain and limited joint functionality. Advanced cases can significantly benefit from infiltration, which presents an alternative to surgical intervention or prosthesis. The entire procedure can be performed under local anesthesia with optional sedation (recommended for anxious patients or those with poor compliance), takes approximately one hour, and requires no post-operative hospitalization. After adipose tissue harvesting and processing, articular infiltrations are immediately performed using standard technique or preferably under ultrasound guidance to precisely identify the target structure.
Shoulder Procedure: The Stoppa Case
Shoulder conditions compromised by inflammatory, traumatic, or degenerative rotator cuff injuries significantly benefit from Lipogems infiltrative treatment. This was the procedure performed on Mr. Edoardo Stoppa at Image Medical Spa. Adipose tissue was harvested from the flanks, followed by processing with the Lipogems device for infiltration preparation.
Results and Post-Treatment Recovery
The processed Lipogems tissue was infiltrated into the shoulder joint and at the supraspinatus tendon lesion site under ultrasound guidance by Prof. Carlo Tremolada. The patient was discharged immediately after the procedure. The healing process is gradual: while effects may not be evident in the first 5 weeks, significant improvement is observed in subsequent months due to the activation of natural tissue repair and regenerative processes. The treatment utilizes the regenerative properties of mesenchymal cells present in the processed adipose tissue, supporting tissue repair and inflammation reduction.
