Gov. Rick Perry's Controversial Surgery Sparks Debate

Texas Gov. Rick Perry received an injection of his own stem cells during spinal fusion surgery last month and wants his state to be a leader in the use of adult stem cells in medical treatment.
But using a concentrated mixture of adult stem cells to fuse bone hasn't been tested in any major U.S. trials, raising questions of whether a governor (and reportedly a potential Republican presidential candidate) should be advocating an unproven medical procedure.
Perry and a state representative who has multiple sclerosis championed a healthcare bill that created an adult stem cell bank in Texas. A month after Perry signed that bill into law, his friend, Stanley Jones, MD, a Houston-based orthopedist, performed spinal fusion surgery on the governor using Perry's own stem cells to treat a recurring spinal injury, according to an article in the Texas Tribune.
The Tribune also said that Jones is a major advocate for adult stem cell therapy: Jones says he was cured of his debilitating arthritis after receiving injections of his own stem cells in Japan.
Experts contacted by ABC News/MedPage Today, who weren't familiar with the specifics of Perry's surgery, guessed that the governor had mesenchymal stem cells cultured from a biopsy of his own marrow or fat, that those cells were concentrated in a lab, and then were reinjected onto a scaffold-like device implanted in the spine.
Following the surgery, according to the Texas Tribune, Perry and Jones reportedly urged the Texas Medical Board to hold a meeting to explore ways to regulate the procedure in Texas.