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Bone marrow aspirate may offer an alternative to THR in patients with avascular necrosis
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Surgeons are finding success using a bone marrow aspirate concentration procedure for patients with early-stage avascular necrosis of the hip.
The procedure, which uses autologous adult stem cells harvested from bone marrow to grow new bone, can provide a less-invasive alternative to hip replacement in patients between the ages of 20 and 60 years old.
“A total hip replacement is often a sub-optimal solution for patients under 60 years of age due to possible activity restrictions and the fact that a synthetic hip joint will wear out with time,” Thomas A. Einhorn, MD, a long-time biologics researcher and chairman of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at Boston University, stated in a press release. “Our breakthrough surgery offers young patients a viable, safe alternative to hip replacement surgery.”
Patients can full weight-bear a week after the procedure and resume strenuous physical activity at 6 months.
“The idea is that once the stem cells are in the cavity, they will take nourishment from any remaining vasculature or blood supply and start to grow, differentiating into bone tissue,” Einhorn, noted in the release. “This new bone tissue should then use the surrounding necrosed tissue as a scaffold, putting living bone back where it belongs.”
Einhorn has been performing the bone marrow aspirate concentration technique in patients with avascular necrosis of the hip for 2 years in an effort to reduce disease progression and eliminate the condition.
“The success rate is highest when the disease is diagnosed in its early stages,” he stated in the release.