Use of Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentrate with Acetabular Labral Repair for the Management of Chondrolabral Junction Breakdown

Despite advances in techniques for acetabular labral repair, strategies for mitigating or reversing damage to the chondrolabral junction do not yet exist. Cartilage repair techniques such as autologous chondrocyte implantation, matrix-induced autologous chondrocyte implantation, osteochondral autograft transfer, microfracture, and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) have all been suggested to restore joint congruity and minimize further chondral deterioration. However, chondrocyte implantation techniques and osteochondral grafts are technically challenging in the hip because of its constrained nature, and many cell-based therapies have shown suboptimal results near the chondrolabral junction because of the increased shear forces at the peripheral acetabulum and increased stress at the weight-bearing region of the joint. By using BMAC to augment labral repairs and coat chondrolabral junction breakdown, we are able to introduce mesenchymal stem cells to peripheral acetabular tissue with little to no drawbacks, while avoiding donor-site morbidity, open procedures, and multiple surgeries. The purpose of this Technical Note is to describe a reproducible method for harvesting, processing, and applying BMAC to the chondrolabral surface of the hip during hip arthroscopy without the need for donor-site morbidity or increased labral repair time.