Stem Cell Therapy in Thromboangiitis Obliterans: A Review of Clinical Outcomes

Thromboangiitis obliterans (TAO) is a nonatherosclerotic vasculitis that predominantly affects young male smokers. Patients typically present with symptomatic peripheral arterial disease, most often manifesting as chronic limb-threatening ischemia, and frequently have no viable revascularization options or have failed revascularization. Over the past two decades, this high-risk cohort has been the focus of stem cell-based therapies aimed at improving clinical outcomes and reducing amputation rates. Early preclinical studies in the 1990s established the foundation for subsequent clinical investigations. This rapid systematic review synthesizes the findings of 19 clinical studies encompassing 682 patients with TAO. Considerable heterogeneity was observed across studies, including inconsistent reporting of smoking cessation status, variable diagnostic criteria for TAO, and differences in stem cell transplantation protocols and outcome measures. Overall, stem cell therapy demonstrated potential for improving clinical outcomes in TAO; however, robust randomized controlled trials with standardized methodologies are required to establish definitive efficacy in this patient population.