MedTrace Logo

Autologous Fat Grafting for the Treatment of Chronic Tendinopathy

NCT07748793 · Status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING · Phase: NA · Type: INTERVENTIONAL · Enrollment: 40

Last updated 2026-08-06

No results posted yet for this study

Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether a one-time injection of a person's own concentrated fat (micro-fragmented adipose tissue, or MFAT) can reduce pain and improve function in adults (ages 18-80) with chronic tendinopathy - tendon pain lasting more than 3 months (for example, in the shoulder, elbow, hip, knee, or Achilles) - that has not improved with usual treatments such as physical therapy, cortisone shots, or platelet-rich plasma.

The main questions it aims to answer are:

* Does injecting a person's own concentrated fat into a painful tendon reduce tendon pain?
* Does it improve how well the tendon works, how long does any improvement last, and is the procedure safe?

This is a single-group study, so there is no separate comparison group; each participant's pain, function, and ultrasound results after treatment are compared with their own measurements taken before treatment.

Participants will:

* Have a one-time procedure in which a small amount of fat is removed from the abdomen by liposuction (under local numbing), concentrated, and injected into the painful tendon using ultrasound guidance.
* Complete short pain and function questionnaires and have ultrasound imaging of the tendon at study visits.
* Be followed for about 12 months, with a phone or video check-in 3-7 days after the procedure, a 2-week skin check of the fat-removal site, and visits at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months.

Conditions

  • Chronic Tendinopathy

Interventions

PROCEDURE

Micro-Fragmented Adipose Tissue (MFAT) injection

Autologous microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT), i.e., mechanically concentrated autologous lipoaspirate, prepared and delivered in a single, same-day, point-of-care procedure. Under local anesthesia, 5-15 cc of subcutaneous abdominal fat is harvested by small-volume manual liposuction. The lipoaspirate is sterilely rinsed and concentrated by manual rolling on a non-adherent (Telfa) dressing; no enzymatic (collagenase) digestion, cell isolation, culture, or expansion is performed (minimal manipulation). Under ultrasound guidance, percutaneous tenotomy (needle fenestration) of the target tendon is performed, followed by a single intratendinous injection of 1-3 cc of the concentrated graft into the area of tendinopathy. One-time administration; route is percutaneous intratendinous injection. No exogenous cells, additives, scaffolds, or culture are used; the graft is autologous and delivered within the same surgical procedure.

Sponsors & Collaborators

  • The Plastic Surgery Foundation

    collaborator OTHER

  • Weill Medical College of Cornell University

    lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

  • Jaspal Singh, MD · Department of Rehabilitation Medicine | Weill Cornell Medicine

Study Design

Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Model
SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age
18 Years
Max Age
80 Years
Sex
ALL
Healthy Volunteers
No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start
2026-08-31
Primary Completion
2028-01-31
Completion
2028-07-31

Countries

  • United States

Study Locations

More Related Trials

Read the full study record

This page highlights key information. For complete eligibility criteria, study locations, investigator contacts, and the full protocol, visit the original record on ClinicalTrials.gov.

View NCT07748793 on ClinicalTrials.gov