How I Harvest BMAC and Repair a Cartilage Defect

How I Harvest BMAC and Repair a Cartilage Defect

In this video, I walk you through two parts of the same procedure: harvesting your bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC), and using it to repair a cartilage defect.

Harvesting the BMAC

We start by harvesting BMAC from your proximal tibia — the upper part of your shin bone — through a very small incision.

Using specialised equipment, we enter the bone marrow directly and aspirate the concentrate: essentially drawing out a small volume of your own marrow, rich in the cells we'll use later in the repair.

Confirming the defect

With the camera in the joint, I identify the cartilage defect, then prepare its edges and measure its exact size. This measurement matters, because it determines exactly how the next step is done.

Preparing the scaffold

Once I know the precise dimensions of the defect, I measure and cut a scaffold to match that size exactly. The BMAC harvested earlier is then injected directly onto this scaffold, loading it with the biological material that will drive the repair.

Placing the repair

I switch to a dry scope, draining the joint fluid and drying the defect with gauze so the surface is completely clear. The BMAC-loaded scaffold is then applied into the defect and shaped to sit flush with the surrounding cartilage.

Finally, tissue glue is applied to hold the scaffold securely in place while it beds in.

The before-and-after photo shows the outcome: a defect filled, shaped, and secured with your own biological material. The material we need to rebuild the joint is drawn from within your own body, not manufactured outside it.

If you have any questions before the surgery, feel free to ask me.