Stem Cell Treatment and Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective: We designed this systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the pooled efficacy and safety profile of different types of stem cells in treating patients with cerebral palsy (CP). Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Scopus, EMBASE, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and also gray literature, including references of the included studies which were published before November 2021. We extracted data regarding the total number of participants, first author, publication year, country of origin, mean age, cell type, cell dose, cell source, method of transplantation, duration of follow-up, Gross motor function, Ashworth scale, and adverse events. Results: We found 2073 articles by literature search; after deleting duplicates, 1194 remained. Nine articles remained for meta-analysis. The SMD of GMF-66 score (after-before) treatment was 1.5 (95% CI:0.7-2.3) (I² = 89.9%, P < 0.001). The pooled incidence of Gastrointestinal (GI) complications after transplantation was 21% (95% CI:9-33%) (I² = 56%, P = 0.08). The pooled incidence of fever after transplantation was 18 % (95% CI:6-30%) (I² = 87.9%, P = 0.08 < 0.001) Conclusion: The result of this systematic review and meta-analysis show that stem cell therapy in cerebral palsy has neuroprotective properties from anti-inflammatory and anti-apoptotic activities. Stem cell therapy seems to be a promising adjunct to traditional therapies for cerebral palsy patients.