Background: Although strong efforts have been made over the last decade to introduce stem cell and tissue engineering treatment strategies to the field of orthopaedics, only few clinical applications are currently available.
Materials and methods: The clinical outcomes of ten patients with volumetric bone deficiencies treated with mesenchymal stem cells and bone marrow aspirate are presented in this case series. Results were evaluated with radiographs. In addition to the in vivo data, we also presented in vitro data of BMC cultivated onto a porous collagen I scaffold and the technique of bone marrow aspiration via a commercially available system.
Results: Our results demonstrated that there is a rationale for a clinical application of BMC / bone aspirate in the treatment of osseous defects. The intraoperative harvest procedure is a safe method and does not significantly prolong the time of surgery. In addition, MSC isolated from the aspirate was able to adhere and proliferate onto a collagen scaffold in significant numbers after a 15 min incubation period. These cells were then able to allow osteogenic differentiation in vitro without any osteogenic stimuli.
Conclusions: The local application of BMC / bone aspirate in the treatment of bone deficiencies may be a promising alternative to autogenous bone grafting and help reduce donor site morbidity.