Repair of craniofacial defects with hydroxyapatite cement.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to evaluate the course of healing of craniofacial bone defects when filled with hydroxyapatite cement and to determine whether adding various percentages by weight of demineralized bone powder to the cement will result in enhanced bone formation.


METHODS
The model for the study was the canine calvarium. The implants were placed into cranial defects and harvested at 3 or 6 months for qualitative evaluation by light microscopy, microradiography, and quantitative histomorphometry.


RESULTS
The implantation of hydroxyapatite cement resulted in characteristic replacement of the material with new bone ingrowth. The addition of demineralized bone powder to the hydroxyapatite cement appeared to improve the handling characteristics of the cement; however, improvement in the replacement of the material by bone was not observed. The implantation of only allogeneic demineralized bone showed limited new bone formation within the defect site.


CONCLUSIONS
Hydroxyapatite cement formed an effective osseoconductive scaffold for bone replacement. The addition of demineralized bone powder to the cement to serve as a carrier of osseoinductive factors did not result in additional bone being formed.
Lew
D
D
Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, Iowa City 52242-1049, USA.
Farrell
B
B
Bardach
J
J
Keller
J
J
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001843:Bone Cements / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001847:Bone Diseases / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D001857:Bone Matrix / Q000473:pathology; D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D004396:Coloring Agents; D003238:Connective Tissue / Q000473:pathology; D003648:Decalcification Technique; D004285:Dogs; D017886:Durapatite / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D008852:Microradiography; D010012:Osteogenesis; D012886:Skull / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery*; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D014945:Wound Healing
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D001843:Bone Cements; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D004396:Coloring Agents; D017886:Durapatite