A review of bone marrow lesions in the arthritic knee and description of a technique for treatment

TLDR: The use of novel biologic techniques to treat BMLs in the knee, such as PRP and Bone Marrow Cells, has yielded promising clinical outcomes and a need for high-quality RCTs studies and systematic reviews in the future to enhance further treatment strategy.

Abstract: Introduction Subchondral bone pathology includes a wide range of pathologies, such as osteoarthritis, spontaneous insufficiency fractures, osteonecrosis, transient bone marrow lesions syndromes, and trauma. They show typical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings termed bone marrow lesions (BMLs). However, the etiology and evolution of BMLs in multiple conditions remains unclear. There is still no gold standard treatment protocol in treating BMLs in the knee, and a variety of treatment modalities have been tested in the hope that they might reduce pain and stop disease progression. Objectives To review the treatment options for BMLs of the knee. Methods A literature review was performed that included searches of PubMed, Cochrane, and Medline databases using the following keywords: Bone marrow lesions, sub chondroplasty, bone marrow concentrate, platelet-rich plasma (PRP), subchondral bone augmentation. Results The use of novel biologic techniques to treat BMLs in the knee, such as PRP and Bone Marrow Cells, has yielded promising clinical outcomes. Conclusions Future research of BMLs will be mandatory to address the different pathologies better and determining appropriate treatment strategies. There is still a need for high-quality RCTs studies and systematic reviews in the future to enhance further treatment strategy in preventing or treating BMLs of the knee.