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Biologic joint restoration using donor tissue instead of traditional metal and plastic may be an option for active patients with joint defects. Recovery from a biologic joint repair takes a long time compared to traditional replacement, successful biologic restoration allows patients to return to full activity.
However, in some cases, the transplanted bone does not heal correctly. Researchers found in a group of patients that treating donor grafts with bone marrow aspirate concentrate BMC before surgery improves bone integration and aids recovery. Surgeons performing biologic joint restoration surgeries typically wash the donor bone to remove the marrow as a pretreatment before implanting the graft.
Once implanted, the recipient’s bone has to grow into the donor bone for the surgery to be successful. This graft integration involves a long process called creeping substitution that can take more than a year to complete.
The researchers reviewed biologic knee replacement outcomes related to BMC use in humans. To pretreat a graft with BMC, the patient’s bone marrow is collected at the beginning of the procedure, it is processed in the operating room using a centrifuge to make a powerful concentrate containing the patient’s cells and proteins.
The resulting BMC is used to saturate the donor bone before it is implanted into the patient’s joint. donor grafts pretreated with BMC were associated with earlier and better bone integration. This means that pretreatment with BMC reduces the risk of bone graft failure and improves the patients’ chances for long term success.
