Background: Adipose tissue grafting is a regenerative medicine approach based on the use of autologous adipose tissue showing significant potential for the treatment of diabetic foot lesions. In subjects with diabetes, impaired wound healing, peripheral neuropathy, and vascular insufficiency contribute to the development of chronic ulcers and osteomyelitis, complicating traditional treatment strategies. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of our center’s database, including all subjects treated for chronic diabetic foot ulcers who underwent adipose grafting with a follow-up of at least six months. For the control group, we included patients who received artificial dermis grafts rather than adipose grafts. Results: We identified 45 patients in the adipose group and 39 in the control group. Baseline characteristics were similar between the two groups for: mean age, diabetes duration, creatinine level, HbA1c, peripheral neuropathy, peripheral vascular disease and osteomyelitis. Coronary artery disease was prevalent in the control group. Wound location demonstrates a prevalent heel involvement for the adipose group. No patients experienced severe complications due to adipose graft: four patients (9%) developed a hematoma at the adipose tissue harvesting site, which was resolved spontaneously. At a mean follow-up of 12 ± 5 months, 30 (67%) patients achieved healing with a mean healing time of 202 ± 82 days, without requiring further surgical interventions. The control group achieved 51% of healing (p = 0.04), with a mean healing time longer than in the adipose graft group: 275 ± 132 days (p = 0.02). Moreover adipose graft permitted the best performance in rearfoot lesions. Conclusions: Adipose grafting is a safe and minimally invasive procedure with no major adverse events. Our data demonstrate its efficacy in promoting healing, even in chronic lesions with osteomyelitis and those located on the heel. Efficacy was found to be superior to that of the artificial dermis graft group.
Ros et al. (2026) studied this question.