A pilot study from New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine found no procedure-related complications among 27 patients who received a bone marrow aspirate concentrate injection during lumbar microdiscectomy and were followed for one year.
The study, published in the July 2026 issue of World Neurosurgery, found no patients required reoperation. One patient experienced a same-site recurrent herniation that was managed without surgical revision.
Among 18 patients who completed one-year follow-up assessments, disability and pain scores improved from baseline. Researchers also reported no adverse MRI changes among six patients with complete imaging data.
The findings represent preliminary safety data. The study lacked a control group and patient-reported outcomes were unavailable for nine participants. The researchers called for a multicenter controlled trial with longer follow-up to further evaluate the approach.
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