1901 - Microfragmented Adipose Tissue and Platelet Rich Plasma, an Innovative Therapy to Accelerate Non-operative Recovery After Knee Ligament and Tendon Injury

Friday, February 20, 2026

5:00 PM - 6:30 PM AST

Presenting Author(s)

AN

Anthony Nazaryan, DO

Resident Physician
University of California, Irvine
Glendale, California, United States

Co-Author(s)

CY

Christopher H. Yoo, MD

Resident Physician
University of California, Irvine
Orange, California, United States
SP

Shounuck Patel, DO

Attending Physician
The Patel Center for Functional Regeneration
Newport Beach, California, United States

Submitter(s)

AN

Anthony Nazaryan, DO

University of California, Irvine
Glendale, California, United States

Case Diagnosis: Lateral collateral ligament (LCL), biceps femoris, and popliteofibular ligament tear treated with microfragmented adipose tissue (MFAT) and platelet rich plasma (PRP).

Case Description: A 17-year-old male football player presented with right knee instability, weakness, and pain after a hyperextension injury. MRI revealed a distal LCL and biceps femoris tear. Physical exam noted a tender fibular head and laxity on varus stress testing. Repeat MRI demonstrated LCL and biceps femoris tear along with possible popliteofibular ligament tear. Patient opted for MFAT injection to the posterolateral corner and intraarticular joint space of the right knee three months after injury to accelerate non-operative recovery. The patient also underwent PRP injections to the same site at the one-month and two-month marks after initial MFAT injection. Throughout the recovery period, the patient consistently engaged in physical therapy. Following the initiation of non-operative therapies, imaging studies, including MRI and Ultrasound, showed significant improvements. Six months after the initial MFAT injection, the patient demonstrated full functional recovery.

Discussions: MFAT is an exciting orthobiologic due to its relative ease of extraction and abundance of mesenchymal stem cells. In addition, MFAT contains multiple cell types that regulate the joint environment and aid in tissue repair. In this case, the patient returned to sports by three months and had a full recovery at six months. This timeline is notably faster than typical post-surgical recovery periods.

Conclusions: Existing research demonstrates the efficacy of MFAT in treating osteoarthritis, tendon tears and ligament injuries. MFAT is currently used as an adjunct or alternative to standard non-surgical options and for those who wish to delay or avoid surgery. This case highlights the need for further investigation regarding the efficacy of MFAT as a standalone treatment and in conjunction with other orthobiologics such as PRP.