Stem cells are a key component of regenerative medicine strategies. Particular areas of musculoskeletal application include cartilage and bone regeneration in arthritis and trauma. There are several types of stem cell and this article will focus on the adult derived cells. The review includes current issues and future developments.

We performed single-photon-emission CT (SPECT) and planar bone scans to assess femoral head vascularity in ten patients with displaced intracapsular hip fracture. The heads were labelled with tetracycline and after excision at hemiarthroplasty were assessed for tetracycline uptake distribution by fluorescence under UV light. The four which had the greatest tetracycline uptake were normal on SPECT and planar imaging. In two cases the planar bone scans were normal although SPECT suggested avascularity thus giving false-negative results. Surgeons should be aware of this; SPECT may prove to be a more accurate method of assessing vascularity of the femoral head in fractures of the femoral neck.