Successful fusions in challenging cases can be facilitated when the site is augmented with Autograft bone. Autograft bone that is harvested from the iliac crest is generally considered the "gold standard" for joint fusions but graft harvest is associated with frequent complications and pain.
Bone marrow aspirated from the iliac crest and other bones with reservoirs of stem cells provide an alternative to traditional Autograft harvest. Traditional aspiration retrieval methods with open-ended trocars diminish the number of key stem and progenitor cells due to the peripheral blood that enters the trocar. Additional manipulation of the traditional method of aspiration leads to volume reduction processing steps such as centrifugation outside of the sterile operating room field. Marrow Cellution aspiration kit is confined to the sterile field minimizing peripheral blood infiltration with a closed stylet that pulls marrow cells from varying locations laterally through a fenestrated trocar. The current case involved a patient with end stage ankle arthritis who underwent an ankle fusion procedure. The Marrow Cellution kit was used to provide bone marrow aspirate and high quality bone Autograft to the fusion site.