Clinical application of collagen membrane with umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells to repair nasal septal perforation

Abstract Objective . We aimed to investigate the clinical efficacy of collagen membrane with umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells in the endoscopic repair of nasal septal perforation. Methods. We performed a prospective clinical trial between March 2017 and October 2019. Nasal septal perforations were repaired by the endoscopic sandwich technique with the collagen membrane and umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells. These patients were followed up postoperatively. Their outcomes were comprehensively evaluated by assessing the healing process of the perforations, the visual analog scale (VAS) for nasal discomfort, and the nasal mucociliary transit time (MTT) for the regenerated nasal mucosa. Results . Our study included a total of eight patients with nasal septal perforation (six males and two females, age 36.6 ± 12.8 years, diameter of perforation 1.0 ± 0.2 cm). Seven patients successfully underwent surgical repair. These patients had significantly improved VAS scores 1 month after the operations (1.1 ± 0.4) compared with the preoperative period (5.9 ± 0.7) ( P < 0.05). Although the nasal MTT in the nasal septum and the inferior turbinate surface were within the normal limits before the operation and at 1 month after the operation, the postoperative transit time (11.1 ± 2.0 m) was significantly shorter than the preoperative transit time (12.1 ± 2.4 m) ( P < 0.05). There were no recurrences of perforation, scab formations, or epistaxis after the operation. Conclusions . The application of the collagen membrane with umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells is a simple and feasible endoscopic procedure to repair perforated nasal septa and restore satisfactory functional mucosa.