Concentrated bone marrow aspirate and application for the treatment of osteochondral lesion and outcome

Abstract

As osteochondral defects heal spontaneously or as a result of marrow stimulation, a bone marrow clot develops inside the cartilage defect. In the clot-filled defect, MSCs from the subchondral bone move in, develop into chondrocytes and osteoblasts, and eventually create a repair tissue. It is believed that applying a bone marrow aspirate (BMA) to marrow stimulation will improve cartilage repair since it may serve as a source of growth factors that promote both chondrogenesis and cartilage repair. Furthermore, the BMA clot offers a three-dimensional environment that may help chondrogenesis even more while safeguarding the subchondral bone from structural changes. In this treatment, bone marrow aspirate concentrated cells (BMAC), hyaluronic acid, and fibrin gel are applied after microfracture. The surgical procedure involved debridement of the lesion, microfracture, and application of concentrated BMAC with HA and fibrin gel.