Marrow Access Device Aids Orthopaedic Joint Regeneration

An alternative to traditional marrow stimulation techniques is less disruptive to native bone and provides greater access as well.

The Marrow Access Technologies (Minnetonka, MN, USA) SmartShot Marrow Access needle puncture device leverages the body’s natural healing processes to aid repair and regeneration of cartilage in the knee, shoulder, ankle, hip, and elbow. During the procedure, a multitude of small holes are punched in the bone’s surface below the injured cartilage, allowing stem-cell-rich bone marrow to flow from the bone. This triggers a natural healing reaction, with the ability to form a new cartilage layer within the injured area.


The SmartShot spring-powered and self-retracting device is designed to creates clean, deep, precise holes that provide 1.5 times the number of marrow channels, at more than twice the depth than the traditional microfracture technique, more than tripling potential access to stem cell-rich marrow. In addition, the procedure causes 66% less bone disruption and close to zero bone compaction. The device also eliminates heat from rotational energy, surface sheering, and skiving.

Marrow stimulation, including subchondral drilling, needle puncture, and microfracture, is the most commonly performed cartilage repair strategy, whereby the subchondral bone plate is perforated to release marrow-derived cells into a cartilage defect to initiate repair.

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