In a landmark 15-year study of 140 patients between the ages of 65 and 90, researchers compared the outcomes of Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) in one knee against subchondral Bone Marrow Concentrate (BMC) injections in the other. The results revealed that only 18% of BMC-treated knees eventually required surgery, demonstrating a high rate of joint preservation. Statistically, the BMC annual failure rate of 1.19% was equivalent to the TKA revision rate of 1.00%, suggesting that the IO BMAC intervention is as durable as the knee replacement at 15 years.
Clinical observations showed that BMC injections correlated with a significant reduction in Bone Marrow Lesion (BML) volume within 24 months. Conversely, the strongest predictors for eventual progression to TKA were persistent BMLs larger than 3 cm³, followed by younger patient age and severe joint malalignment. Ultimately, while the IO BMC and TKA procedures maintained near-identical success rates, patients who underwent successful BMC injections reported higher overall satisfaction compared to those who underwent successful TKA.
