Bone Marrow Aspirate Injections in Knee Arthroscopy: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Controlled Trial

Status: Recruiting
Location: See location...
Intervention Type: Biological, Other, Procedure
Study Type: Interventional
Study Phase: Not Applicable
SUMMARY

This study will examine whether using bone marrow aspirate (BMA) during knee arthroscopy surgery can improve patient outcomes. The investigators will enroll 50 patients who need knee arthroscopy surgery for meniscus injuries or cartilage damage. Like flipping a coin, patients will be randomly assigned to one of two groups of 25 patients each. One group will receive standard arthroscopic surgery plus an injection of bone marrow aspirate, while the other group will receive standard surgery plus a saline (salt water) injection. During surgery, for patients in the treatment group, approximately 4mL (less than one teaspoon) of bone marrow will be taken from their hip bone using a special needle system. A small amount (1mL) will be sent to the laboratory for testing. Patients will be followed for 12 months after surgery and will complete questionnaires about their pain levels and knee function at several time points: before surgery, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months after surgery. These questionnaires will ask about pain, daily activities, and overall improvement.

Eligibility
Participation Requirements
Sex: All
Minimum Age: 18
Maximum Age: 64
Healthy Volunteers: f
View:

• Require a primary knee arthroscopy for a meniscal injury or focal chondral defect (knee debridement or meniscectomy)

• Have Kellgren-Lawrence grade 0 arthritis

• Have Outerbridge cartilage grade 2 or lower

• Ages 18-64

Locations
United States
New York
Hospital for Special Surgery
RECRUITING
New York
Contact Information
Primary
Akshay K Raghuram
raghurama@hss.edu
(646) 714-6067
Time Frame
Start Date: 2026-06
Estimated Completion Date: 2029-04
Participants
Target number of participants: 50
Treatments
Active_comparator: Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery + Saline
Arthroscopic debridement surgery is standard of care to treat the conditions that are within the inclusion criteria of the study, therefore it serves as an Active Comparator to the experimental arm which is the same procedure but with the addition of bone marrow aspirate (BMA) injection.
Experimental: Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery + Bone Marrow Aspirate (BMA)
Arthroscopic debridement surgery is standard of care to treat the conditions that are within the inclusion criteria of the study. The study investigates the effect of combining the standard of care with a bone marrow aspirate (BMA), therefore this serves as the Active Experimental arm.
Related Therapeutic Areas
Sponsors
Leads: Hospital for Special Surgery, New York

This content was sourced from clinicaltrials.gov