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Impact of Bone-Marrow Aspirate Injections in Knee Arthroscopy

Key facts

Who runs it
Hospital for Special Surgery, New York
Where
New York, United StatesSee the site
Trial code
Status
Recruiting
People taking part
50 people, planned
Started
3 Feb 2026
Expected to end
Apr 2030
Type of study
Interventional, 2 groupsOne group gets an existing treatment, for comparison.
Treatments tested
  • Bone Marrow Aspirate (BMA)
  • Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery
  • Saline
Record updated
2 September 2026

Who can take part

Age
18 years to 64 years
Sex
Women and men
Healthy volunteers
Cannot take part

The registry criteria, word for word

Show all 14 criteriaShow less

Who can take part

  • 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

Who cannot take part

  • Have previously undergone ipsilateral knee surgery
  • Have received other OrthoBiologics within 3 mo of surgery
  • Need a concomitant osteotomy or other realignment surgery
  • 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)
  • Have Kellegren-Lawrence grade 3 or greater
  • Have ligament deficiencies
  • Need meniscal repair
  • Have used DMARDs within the last three months
  • Patients who are currently pregnant

Check if you might fit

Answer for yourself. This is not a decision: only the study team can say whether you can take part.

  • Are you between 18 and 64 years old?

Where in United States

  • Hospital for Special SurgeryNew York, United StatesContact: Akshay K RaghuramTaking people

About the trial

What the trial wants to find out

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.

The 2 groups in the trial

  • Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery + SalineExisting treatment, for comparison

    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.

    Treatment: Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery and Saline

  • Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery + Bone Marrow Aspirate (BMA)Treatment being tested

    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.

    Treatment: Bone Marrow Aspirate (BMA) and Arthroscopic Debridement Surgery

Questions to ask the study team

  1. How often do I need to come in, and for how long each time?
  2. Are travel costs paid?
  3. Can I keep my own doctor?
  4. What happens if I want to stop?

Contact the study team: see the registry record → Contacts and Locations

Print a page for my doctor

Data and sources

Registry record
Listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
Official title
Bone Marrow Aspirate Injections in Knee Arthroscopy: A Randomized, Single-Blind, Controlled Trial
Fit questions
Built from NCT06893302, who can take part
Record updated
2 September 2026