BONE BIOLOGY AND HEALING

This book describes succinctly the factors which affect the incorporation of massive and morsellised allografts after transplantation. Unless special precautions are taken, massive allografts when implanted can undergo stress fatigue, due to the limited incorporation at the graft-host interface. Immunological and cell signalling growth factors can be shown to greatly influence the behaviour of the graft. The bone-biological processes are illustrated in terms of demineralised bone, which can initiate bone induction due to the protection and availability of the original bone-morphogenic protein. The main message is that transplantation without consideration of the underlying biological healing processes can reduce the effectiveness of the procedure.