This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.

New composite bone graft may increase strength of restored bone vs. autograft

Add topic to email alerts

Receive an email when new articles are posted on

Please provide your email address to receive an email when new articles are posted on .

Subscribe

Added to email alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

You've successfully added to your alerts. You will receive an email when new content is published.

Click Here to Manage Email Alerts

Back to Healio

We were unable to process your request. Please try again later. If you continue to have this issue please contact customerservice@slackinc.com.

Back to Healio

SAN FRANCISCO — A novel injectable composite bone graft may increase both the amount and strength of restored bone compared to standard cancellous autograft, according to an experimental study involving canines. The bone restored by the graft compound was also stronger than specimens of normal bone, the study authors noted.

Robert M. Urban, MD, and colleagues at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago investigated the strength of regenerated bone produced by an injectable bone graft substitute, which consisted of calcium sulfate dihydrate (CASO₄), dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) and beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP). They presented their results in a poster at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society 54th Annual Meeting.

The study involved 20 adult male dogs, each approximately 25 kg to 32 kg in weight. Investigators created a critical-sized axial defect in each animal 13 mm in diameter and 50 mm in length.

Of the 20 animals, 10 received 6 cc of autologous cancellous bone graft and 10 received 6 cc of the composite graft (Pro-Dense, Wright Medical Technology). Another 10 untreated, unharmed humeri served as controls, according to the study.

Investigators found that, at 13 weeks follow-up, defects treated with the composite graft had a greater area fraction of mineralized new bone compared to both autograft-treated defects and normal bone.

Also, at both 13 weeks and 26 weeks, bone treated with the composite showed greater ultimate compressive strengths compared to the autograft group and normal bone, according to the study.

There was no difference between the three groups in the modulus of elasticity at 13 weeks and 26 weeks, the authors noted.

For more information:

• Urban R, Turner TM Hall DJ, et al. Advanced bone regeneration using an injectable CaSO₄/CaPO₄-TCP composite compared to cancellous autogenous bone graft in a canine model. Presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Orthopaedic Research Society. March 2-5, 2008. San Francisco.