Large cartilage lesions of the knee treated with bone marrow concentrate and collagen membrane--results.

BACKGROUND: The study presents to assess the clinical results of cartilage lesion treatment with bone marrow concentrate and collagen membrane. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group comprised 54 patients with ICRS grade III or IV lesions. Lesion sizes ranged from 4 to 12 cm(2). The assessment was carried out at one and five years following the surgery with the use of KOOS and Lysholm functional scales and VAS and KOOS Pain scales. RESULTS: A significant improvement was obtained in 52 out of 54 patients across all scales. No complicating infections were noted. The average improvement at one year was 25 points in the KOOS scale and 35 points in the Lysholm scale. After 5 years an insignificant deterioration was noted in three patients. CONCLUSIONS: 1. One-stage reconstruction of large cartilage lesions with bone marrow concentrate is an effective treatment modality. 2. Due to its lower cost it is a valuable alternative to autologous chondrocyte transplantation. 3. The study group requires 2-3 years of further monitoring to clinically verify this treatment modality.