Hitting the Mark: Optimizing the Use of Calcium Phosphate Injections for the Treatment of Bone Marrow Lesions of the Proximal Tibia and Distal Femur

Increased contact pressures of the osteoarthritic joint can lead to underlying osseous injury, with resultant marrow edema changes of the subchondral bone. These osteoarthritis-related bone marrow lesions can subsequently lead to persistent pain and further disability. Limited joint preservation treatment options exist to alleviate symptoms or potentially alter the natural history of the affected joint; however, recent success with injectable calcium phosphate has provided early pain relief and may provide a scaffold for endogenous repair mechanisms. In this Technical Note, a comprehensive surgical approach using injectable calcium phosphate to target bone marrow lesions of the proximal tibia and distal femur is presented. Critical technique considerations include the use of magnetic resonance and fluoroscopic imaging to target the area of the subchondral bone while refraining from overfilling and/or forced pressurization during delivery and the use of postinjection arthroscopy to prevent potential injurious sequelae.