Bone marrow stimulation for knee cartilage injuries—an international Delphi consensus statement

Introduction

Articular cartilage injuries of the knee are a complex and challenging clinical pathology.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to establish consensus statements via a Delphi process on bone marrow stimulation (BMS) for knee cartilage injuries.

Methods

A consensus process on knee cartilage injuries utilizing a modified Delphi technique was conducted. Seventy-nine surgeons across 17 countries participated in these consensus statements. Fourteen questions were generated on BMS, with 3 rounds of questionnaires and final voting occurring. Consensus was defined as achieving 80% to 89% agreement, whereas strong consensus was defined as 90% to 99% agreement, and unanimous consensus was defined as 100% agreement with a proposed statement.

Results

Of the 14 total questions and consensus statements on BMS developed from 3 rounds of voting, 0 achieved unanimous consensus, 3 achieved strong consensus, 4 achieved consensus, and 7 did not achieve consensus.

Conclusions

The statements that achieved strong consensus related to lesion site preparation, ability to differentiate healthy/damaged cartilage, and distance between BMS holes. The statements that did not achieve consensus were primarily related to the indications for BMS, as well as the instrumentation and whether orthobiologics/scaffolds should be utilized.