Bone marrow aspirate concentrate chondroplasty to delaying need for total knee arthroplasty: a retrospective review of a veteran cohort

Aim: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent and costly condition, rooted in cartilaginous defects. Despite various causes, the inability for chondrocytes to regenerate prohibits these lesions from self-healing. Debridement commonly provides symptomatic relief but does not target the underlying disease process, necessitating investigation into possible treatments. Intraosseous and intraarticular bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) injection is a new promising therapy aimed at repairing these cartilage defects. Methods/materials: We retrospectively reviewed patients who underwent BMAC chondroplasty and examined the efficacy in delaying need for further intervention. Results: Only 5 of 23 procedures (21.7%) required postoperative intervention within the 2-year follow-up period. Only one request for total knee arthroplasty was made, but the procedure has not been done. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that BMAC chondroplasty may be an efficacious method to delay need for total knee arthroplasty.