Abstract
Conventional banking of donated femoral heads has been well documented in the literature. It relies on screening potential donors, providing a storage facility and sterilisation techniques which are not standardised. Stored femoral heads have a finite lifetime and wastage does occur. Prion contamination and malignant potential are present with modern storage techniques.
We report a technique of banking the donor’s femoral head in a surgically fashioned subperiosteal pouch, under iliacus. Young patients requiring a total hip replacement who are likely to need revision at a later date are suitable candidates. Patients who have signs of loosening of their total hip replacement and contralateral osteoarthritis are also suitable. The femoral head is retrieved and used for the donor’s own revision surgery. Interim clinical results for 12 patients with the head harvested at a maximum of 5 years from implantation are presented. We report no morbidity at the pouch site and present radiographic results showing good integration of the morselised femoral head bone graft in revision hip surgery. Histological results are also presented.
Autobanking of the patient’s own femoral head has the advantage of providing a graft with a reduced risk of infection, rich in growth factors, with the potential of osteoinduction. It eliminates the need for a storage facility, screening programme and provides a portable storage facility if the patient moves area.
These abstracts were prepared by Mr Peter Kay. Correspondence should be addressed to him at The Hip Centre, Wrightington Hospital, Appley Bridge, Wigan, Lancashire WN6 9EP.
