Injectable bone marrow preparations to stimulate osteogenic repair.

The great versatility of bone marrow transplants based on stem cell activity has been demonstrated successfully for a variety of previously untreatable hemopoietic conditions. Autologous bone marrow delivered by percutaneous injection or by direct transplant as a composite graft also has proven effective for osteogenic stimulation in a series of 100 skeletal healing problems, including delayed unions and nonunions of fractures, arthrodeses, and bone defects. The efficiency of marrow to form bone can be increased by a number of methods, including differential centrifugation and composite grafts of marrow with demineralized bone matrix and other carriers or stimulatory factors.