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 -78º to -68º 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. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2015;97-B:427–31

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. 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

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