Fresh-frozen allograft bone is frequently used in orthopaedic surgery. We investigated the incidence of allograft-related infection and analysed the outcomes of recipients of bacterial culture-positive allografts from our single-institute bone bank during bone transplantation. The fresh-frozen allografts were harvested in a strict sterile environment during total joint arthroplasty surgery and immediately stored in a freezer at −78° to −68° C after packing. Between January 2007 and December 2012, 2024 patients received 2083 allografts with a minimum of 12 months of follow-up. The overall allograft-associated infection rate was 1.2% (24/2024). Swab cultures of 2083 allografts taken before implantation revealed 21 (1.0%) positive findings. The 21 recipients were given various antibiotics at the individual orthopaedic surgeon's discretion. At the latest follow-up, none of these 21 recipients displayed clinical signs of infection following treatment. Based on these findings, we conclude that an incidental positive culture finding for allografts does not correlate with subsequent surgical site infection. Additional prolonged post-operative antibiotic therapy may not be necessary for recipients of fresh-frozen bone allograft with positive culture findings. Chang Gung Medical Foundation

Introduction: Filling of bone defects is a significant challenge in Orthopaedic Surgery. Human fresh-frozen allograft is still the most effective bone graft substitution material («gold standard»), guaranteeing all essential biological and physiochemical demands (osteogenic, osteoinductive, and osteoconductive) when the necessary amount of autologous bone is not available. Using donor screening recommendations, more than 50 % of potential donors have to be excluded. With increasing incidence for revision hip surgery and especially acetabular reconstructions, a hospital associated bone bank has difficulties meeting demand. The aim of this study is to evaluate the balance and resource utilisation of a hospital associated bone bank for fresh-frozen allografts and the correlation to commercial alternatives regarding cost effectiveness. Method: For evaluation of resource utilisation and cost effectiveness of a hospital associated bone bank, all donation processes and the details of allograft use were analysed and summarized within a period of 30 months. Given the increasing disproportion of demand and availability, the reasons for exclusion, especially for exclusion during the preservation period, were carefully scrutinized. The costs of installation and maintenance of the bone bank, as well as all costs in the screening process were balanced to calculate the «per head»-price. The results were compared to commercial alternatives. Results: Within the period of evaluation 632 femoral heads were available for donation. Through the screening process 359 femoral heads (56.8%) met at least one criterion for exclusion. At the end of the observation period of six months and after HIV retesting, 246 allografts met all criteria for use. The mean period between inclusion in the bone bank and release was 10.9 5.0 months (range 6.0–30.8). 50.8% of released allografts (125 heads) were used in revision arthroplasty. In spine surgery 83 allografts (33.7%) were implanted in spinal fusions and for cage filling during vertebral body replacement. Thirty-two grafts (13.0%) were used in miscellaneous surgeries with minor bone demand. The costs per donation were 92, with personnel costs the price per head was 140. The price range for commercial alternatives starts at 100 for 1 cm. Conclusion: A hospital associated bone bank for fresh-frozen allografts is still an effective and cost effective method to maintain material for bone defect filling. To meet demand, information and communication to donors has to be increased to get the HIV-retests. Additionally, division of donations into smaller portions helps to decrease waste in surgeries where less bone is required

To evaluate the clinical outcome of arthroscopic treatment of ACL with an Achilles tendon allograft in patient with acute rupture. 22 patients, between 2003 and 2006, with acute rupture of ACL, were treated with an Achilles tendon allograft. The mean age was 26 years. Patients were evaluated before and after surgery and at the latest follow-up with Noulis-Lahmann test and Pivot shift test. We also used IKDC score, Lysholm score and one leg stance test and functional reach test. Patients were also evaluated with Cybex II + and with plain radiographies. The mean follow-up time was 3.5 years. 90% of the patients had a negative pivot shift test and 95% of the patients had a score at Noulis-Lahmann test +1. The mean value of IKDC score was 88 (62–100) and the mean time of Lysholm score was 91 (75–100). Until the latest follow-up there were no clinical sighs of inflammation or graft rejection. Radiologic evaluation revealed no sign of tunnel enlargement. We believe that the use of a fresh-frozen allograft in the treatment of acute ACL ruptures is an effective procedure for the restoration of ligamentous stability of the knee

Extensive bone deficiencies in proximal femur remains a significant challenge in hip surgery. In such a situation, one alternative is to use a proximal femoral allograft-prosthesis composite (APC) to restore the mechanical integrity and bone stock. The current study was performed to analyze the results of APC in the treatment of femoral bone deficiency. From January 1996 to June 2006, 12 patients who received 15 APC (3 of them received repeated APC), were followed for a mean of 4.2 years (range 2.0 to 9.8 years) by one surgeon. 5 were males and 7 were females and the mean age of the patients was 60.9 years (range 32 to 84 years). 6 patients were diagnosed with septic loosening, 5 were with aseptic loosening, 4 were with re-revision arthroplasty, and 1 was with limb salvage procedure due to malignancy and all were treated with fresh-frozen allograft. The surgical technique was used to cement the femoral component into the allograft but not into the host bone except 1 case. The average Harris hip score improved from 21.8, preoperatively, to 83.2, the latest follow-up, and the all stems showed good stability except 3 cases of aseptic loosening. These 3 cases went through a repeated operation with another APC after mean 83.7 months (51,92,108 months) and their results showed good stability. 11 APC had a good junctional union. One case was showed junctional nonunion that needed onlay graft at 3.3 years after APC. There were no infections (or septic loosening), dislocations and allogragt fractures (except one great trochanter avulsion fracture, neither clinical symptoms nor went a surgical treatment). This study demonstrated that the use of APC for extensive proximal femoral bone deficiencies showed a clinically, functionally and radiologically good results. Therefore it is considered as a good options

Introduction. Biological repair of acetabular bone defects after impaction bone grafting (IBG) in total hip arthroplasty could facilitate future re-revisions in case of failure of the reconstruction again using the same technique. Few studies have analysed the outcome of these acetabular re-revisions. Patients and Methods. We analysed 34 consecutive acetabular re-revisions that repeated IBG and a cemented cup in a cohort of 330 acetabular IBG revisions. Fresh-frozen femoral head allografts were morselized manually. All data were prospectively collected. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. The mean follow-up after re-revision was 7.2 years (2–17). Intraoperative bone defect had lessened after the first failed revision. At the first revision there were 14 hips with Paprosky 3A and 20 with Paprosky type 3B. At the re-revision there were 5 hips with Paproky 2B, 21 with Paprosky type 3A and 8 with type 3B. Lateral mesh was used in 19 hips. Results. The mean Harris Hip Score improved from 45.4 (6.7) to 77.1 (15.6) at final follow-up. The radiological analysis showed cup migration in 11 hips. The mean appearance time was 25 months (3–72). Of these, migration in three cups was progressive and painful requiring re-revision. Cup tilt was found in all migrated hips. There were one dislocation requiring a cemented dual mobility cup associated with IBG and one infection resolved with resection-arthroplasty. Survival with further cup revision for aseptic loosening was 80.7% (95% Confidence Interval 57.4–100) at 11 years. In all surviving re-revisions trabecular incorporation was observed without radiolucent lines. Conclusion. Biological repair can be obtained by restoring the bone stock, even after successive acetabular reconstructions using IBG and a cemented cup

Bone defects are frequently observed in anterior shoulder instability. Over the last decade, knowledge of the association of bone loss with increased failure rates of soft-tissue repair has shifted the surgical management of chronic shoulder instability. On the glenoid side, there is no controversy about the critical glenoid bone loss being 20%. However, poor outcomes have been described even with a subcritical glenoid bone defect as low as 13.5%. On the humeral side, the Hill-Sachs lesion should be evaluated concomitantly with the glenoid defect as the two sides of the same bipolar lesion which interact in the instability process, as described by the glenoid track concept. We advocate adding remplissage to every Bankart repair in patients with a Hill-Sachs lesion, regardless of the glenoid bone loss. When critical or subcritical glenoid bone loss occurs in active patients (> 15%) or bipolar off-track lesions, we should consider anterior glenoid bone reconstructions. The techniques have evolved significantly over the last two decades, moving from open procedures to arthroscopic, and from screw fixation to metal-free fixation. The new arthroscopic techniques of glenoid bone reconstruction procedures allow precise positioning of the graft, identification, and treatment of concomitant injuries with low morbidity and faster recovery. Given the problems associated with bone resorption and metal hardware protrusion, the new metal-free techniques for Latarjet or free bone block procedures seem a good solution to avoid these complications, although no long-term data are yet available.

Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2024;106-B(10):1100–1110.

Introduction. Impaction bone grafting (IBG) is a reliable technique for acetabular revision surgery with large segmental defects. However, bone graft resorption and cup migration are some of the limitations of this tecnique. We assess frequency and outcome of these complications in a large acetabular IBG series. Patients and Methods. We analysed 330 consecutive hips that received acetabular IBG and a cemented cup in revision surgery with large bone defects (Paprosky types 3A and 3B). Fresh-frozen femoral head allograft was morselized manually. The mean follow-up was 17 years (3–26). All data were prospectively collected. Kaplan-Meier survivorship analysis was performed. Changes in different paremeters regarding cup position were assessed pre- and postoperatively and at the follow- up controls. Only variations greater than 5º and 3 mm were considered. Results. The mean Harris Hip Score improved from 48.3+8.5 to 84.6+12.8 at final follow-up. The radiological analysis showed cup migration in 42 hips. The mean appearance time was 4.3 years (range, 1–25). Migration was progressive and painful in 27 hips (67.5%) requiring cup revision. Lateral mesh was more frequently associated with migrated cups (p=0.034). Cup tilt was found in 37 out 42 migrated cups, however cranial migration was more frequent in progressive migrated cups (p=0.02). There were 34 re-revisions, 27 due to aseptic cup loosening, 6 due to dislocation and one due to infection. The survival rate for any cause at 16 years was 81.2% (95% Confidence Interval (CI): 74.0 to 88.4) and for aseptic cup loosening was 83.4% (95% CI: 76.2–90.6). In all surviving hips trabecular incorporation was observed without radiolucent lines. Conclusions. IBG continues to be a reliable technique for large defects in acetabular revision surgery. Bone graft resorption and cup migration was not frequent in this large series and one-third of cases were not progressive. Cup migration was more frequent in cases with a segmental roof defect in which a lateral mesh was used

Background: Abductor failure after total hip arthroplasty is a rare but debilitating problem. The diagnosis is difficult, and when recognized, there are few successful treatment options. The purpose of this study is to review our experience with a new surgical technique using fresh-frozen Achilles tendon allograft with an attached calcaneal bone graft to reconstruct a deficient abductor mechanism after total hip arthroplasty. Methods: From 2003 to 2006, we performed seven abductor reconstructions with Achilles tendon allograft for patients with abductor deficiency after total hip arthroplasty. Four patients had a prior posterior approach and three had a prior anterolateral approach. At a mean of 29 months from index procedure, all seven patients suffered from symptoms of lateral hip pain and abductor weakness as documented by positive Trendelenburg sign, limp, and limited motor strength with side-lying abduction. Hip arthrograms were obtained in five of seven patients. Results: The average pre-reconstruction Harris Hip Score was 34.7 and average pain score was 11.4. All five hip arthrograms showed extravasation of dye over the greater trochanter, confirming the diagnosis of a bald greater trochanter and massive abductor loss found at time of surgery. At a minimum 24 month follow-up and an average follow-up of 31 months, the post-reconstruction Harris Hip Score was 85.9 and the average pain score was 38.9. Conclusions: Abductor reconstruction with Achilles tendon allograft using calcaneal bone block fastened to the greater trochanter has offered significant relief of pain and improvement in function at early follow-up in this series of patients

Implantation of allograft bone continues to be an integral part of revision hip surgery. One major concern with its use is the risk of transmission of infective agents. There are a number of methods of processing bone in order to reduce that risk. One part of that processing can be carried out immediately prior to implantation using pulsed irrigation. We report the incidence of deep bacterial infection in a series of 138 patients undergoing 144 revision hip arthroplasty procedures who had undergone allograft bone implantation. The allograft bone used was fresh-frozen non-irradiated. Allograft femoral heads were milled following removal of any residual soft tissue and sclerotic subchondral bone. The bone chips were then placed in a standard metal sieve and irrigated with Normal Saline (pre-warmed to 60 degrees Centigrade) delivered as pulsed lavage at 7 bar pressure. No antibiotics were used in the irrigation solution. The bone chips were washed until all visible blood and marrow products had been removed. The deep infection rate at a minimum one year follow-up was 0.6%. This method of secondary processing appears to be consistent with a very low risk of allograft related bacterial infection

Synthetic graft expanders have recently been developed for use in impaction grafting revision hip arthroplasty, but their true role has yet to be determined. We performed a series of experiments to investigate the properties of one such porous hydroxyapatite material (IG-Pore, ApaTech Ltd). IG-Pore was mixed with fresh-frozen human allograft chips and impacted into composite femoral models with a similar biomechanical profile to human bone (Sawbones Europe). Exeter hip prostheses (Stryker Howmedica Ltd) were implanted with cement and each model was axially loaded for 18000 cycles at physiological levels using an Instron servohydraulic materials testing machine. Four test groups with 0%, 50%, 70% and 90% IG-Pore were used, and there were eight femora in each group. Pre- and post-loading radiostereometric analysis was performed to characterise migration of the prosthesis. Total subsidence was measured and was separated into that occurring at the prosthesis-cement and cement-femur interfaces. Cyclical compression and expansion of the graft-containing models was measured using the Instron. Median values (interquartile range) for total subsidence were 0.43 mm (0.28 to 0.55) for the pure allograft group, 0.31 mm (0.20 to 0.55) for the 50% IG-Pore group, 0.23 mm (0.07 to 0.34) for the 70% allograft group and 0.13 mm (0.06 to 0.18) for the 90% IG-Pore group. These differences were statistically significant (p=0.034, Kruskal-Wallis). Subsidence at the prosthesis-cement interface was also lower for IG-Pore containing models (p=0.019, Kruskal-Wallis), although there was no significant difference at the cement-femur interface. Specimens with a higher proportion of IG-Pore showed smaller cyclical movements on loading (p=0.005, ANOVA). Higher proportions of IG-Pore do appear to reduce subsidence in a mechanical model of impaction grafting. A randomised clinical trial using RSA to compare a 50% IG-Pore/allograft mix with pure allograft is in progress to investigate the use of this material as a bone graft expander in the clinical setting

Block allografts traditionally have been used for massive bone deficiencies, but their complication rates are high, and the destructive effects of allograft rejection can limit their long-term success. Large segments of allograft also heal slowly, are never replaced by new bone, and weaken as the ossification and vascularisation front proceeds. In contrast, morselised allograft has proven structurally reliable for both small and large defects while supporting new bone formation. Morsels that are 1 cm in diameter maintain their integrity long enough to act as a substrate for new bone formation. Morsels less than 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter tend to be resorbed while those larger than 1 cm incorporate slowly, if ever, and tend to collapse. Rejection can be a major problem with allograft because marrow is immunogenic. However, marrow elements can be thoroughly removed from morselised allograft to prevent the inflammatory response and loss of graft and to capitalise on the osteoconductive potential of the demineralised bone and autologous marrow. The allograft acts as scaffolding for new bone growth, and although it is not osteoinductive, demineralised bone (mildly osteoinductive) and bone marrow aspirate (highly osteoinductive) can be added to the allograft to enhance bone formation. The surrounding bone structure supplies most of the osteoinductive activity because metaphyseal bone has a rich blood supply and maintains the capacity to heal even after repeated failed arthroplasty. Grafting preparation and placement: Fresh-frozen cancellous allograft in morsels measuring 0.5 to 1 cm in diameter is soaked for five to ten minutes in normal saline solution that contains polymyxin 500,000 units, bacitracin 50,000 units, and cephazolin 1 g/l. The fluid is removed and 10 cm3 of powdered demineralised cancellous bone is added to each 30 cm3 of the cancellous morsels. Bone fragments and diaphyseal reamings are added to improve the osteoinductive potential. This mixture is packed into the bone defects, then the implants are impacted so as to seat on the remnant of viable bone while compacting the morselised bone graft

Aims. To report the outcome observed in 34 dogs with non metastatic distal radial osteosarcoma (OSA) treated by a combination of adjuvant chemotherapy and limb-sparing surgery. Limb-sparing procedures were based on the use of a frozen bone cortical allograft (group A; 18 cases) and of a pasteurised tumoral autograft (group B; 16 cases), respectively. Methods. In group A, limb-sparing procedure was performed using a fresh-frozen cortical allograft from a bone bank. In the group B, the bone graft was realized from the excised tumoral segment after its pasteurisation at 65A1C for 40 minutes. Adjuvant chemotherapy (cisplatin or cisplatin and doxorubicin) was administered in all dogs. Results. In group A, mean and median survival times were 478-266 days, respectively (range 80–2611 days). Overall survival was 78% at 6 months, 35% at 12 months, 23% at 18 months and 19% at 24 months. Lung metastasis occurred in 10 cases (55%). Observed complications were local recurrence (28%), graft infection (39%) and implant failure (11%). In group B, mean and median survival times were 533-368 days, respectively (range 137–1944 days). Overall survival was 100% at 6 months, 57% at 12 months, 45% at 18 months and 20% at 24 months. Metastasis were observed in 7 dogs (44%). Complications were local recurrence (12%), graft infection (44%) and implant failure (19%). Limb function was good in 72% (group A), and 92% (group B) of the dogs, respectively. Conclusions. Limb-sparing techniques with bone grafts represent an alternative to amputation in the treatment of selected cases of distal radial osteosarcoma. Limb sparing techniques are not free of complication (infection, implant failure, recurrence) if compared to amputation. The latter represents the elective option in most cases of appendicular OSA and is usually free of complication. Comparing the two treatment groups, pasteurised bone autograft derived from the tumoral bone segment represents an effective alternative to cortical bone allograft coming from a bone bank, considering the difficulties encountered in finding donor dogs and national legal limitations on establishing a canine cortical bone graft bank. Alternative limb sparing procedures (metallic implant, Ilizarov) will be also discussed

The October 2012 Knee Roundup³⁶⁰ looks at: autologous chondrocytes and chondromalacia patellae; drilling the femoral tunnel at ACL reconstruction; whether we repair the radially torn lateral meniscus; factors associated with patellofemoral pain; mechanoreceptors and the allografted ACL; whether high tibial osteotomy can delay the need for knee replacement; return to sport after ACL reconstruction; tissue-engineered cartilage; and the benefits of yoga.