Impact of Bone-Marrow Aspirate Injections in Knee Arthroscopy

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Chondral Lesion of the Knee, Meniscal Injuries, Cartilage Defects of the Knee, Osteoarthritis (OA) of the Knee

In brief

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.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT06893302

Run by

Hospital for Special Surgery, New York

People needed

50

Starts

2026-06-01

Expected to finish

2029-04-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-04-27

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 64. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may qualify if…

• 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

You may not qualify if…

• Have previously undergone ipsilateral knee surgery
• Have Kellegren-Lawrence grade 3 or greater
• Have received other OrthoBiologics within 3 mo of surgery
• Have ligament deficiencies
• Need meniscal repair
• Need a concomitant osteotomy or other realignment surgery
• Have used DMARDs within the last three months
• Have a hx of anemia, bleeding disorders, or inflammatory joint disease (rheumatoid arthritis, infectious arthritis, hemophilic arthropathy, Charcot's knee)
• Have a hx of metabolic bone disease (osteoporosis, osteomalacia, rickets, osteitis fibrosa cystica, Paget's disease of bone)
• Patients who are currently pregnant

Where it is running

• Hospital for Special Surgery — New York, New York, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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