A Combined Approach to Intracerebral Hemorrhage: Intravenous Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy with Minimally Invasive Hematoma Evacuation

Background: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells currently being tested as therapy for a variety of diseases. MSC therapy and hematoma evacuation using a minimally invasive approach are being studied separately to improve clinical outcomes after stroke. We report the first case of a patient with intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) treated with combination MSC therapy and endoscopic hematoma evacuation. Case report: A 36-year-old woman with a past medical history of essential chronic hypertension and right lung bronchial atresia presented to the emergency department with acute neurologic decline (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] score, 22). Computed tomography showed a 4.4 × 3.5 × 3.5 cm right basal ganglia hemorrhage with intraventricular extension. An external ventricular drain was placed, and she was enrolled in a Phase I clinical trial investigating intravenous MSC therapy for acute ICH. Continued neurologic deterioration due to increased intracranial pressure led to minimally invasive hematoma evacuation using the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device (Penumbra, Inc.) on hospital day 4. Follow-up scans showed decreased density and extent of hemorrhage. She was discharged on day 41 with improved neurologic function scores (NIHSS score, 2). At 3-month follow-up, she was walking on her own, but had residual left arm and hand weakness (modified Rankin Score, 2). Conclusions: This case report suggests that the combination of MSC therapy and minimally invasive hematoma evacuation may be safe and well tolerated. Further larger randomized clinical trials are required to identify whether MSC therapy in combination with minimally invasive hematoma evacuation is safe, tolerable, and potentially improves outcomes than either alone.