Facial bone grafts: Contemporary science and thought.
OBJECTIVE
The use of bone grafts is a vital component of a surgeon's armamentarium in the reconstruction of congenital and acquired deformities of the craniofacial region. A thorough understanding of bone graft physiology and the factors thought to affect graft behavior is essential in order to develop a more intelligent use of the grafts in clinical applications.


METHODS
This article presents a brief review of the basic physiology of bone grafts along with a survey of pertinent concepts and research currently available. Mechanical stress, rigid fixation, graft orientation, and the recipient sites are reviewed.
In an attempt to bring together various issues that exist in current bone graft science, the authors propose new concepts. They suggest that the mechanical environment in which a bone graft is placed, revascularization of the graft, and the interaction between those two factors are the major predictors of clinical results.
Tong
L
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Section of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Medical Health System, Ann Arbor, Mich., USA.
Buchman
S R
SR
D000818:Animals; D016025:Bone Transplantation; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000098:blood supply; D005151:Facial Injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D005592:Fracture Fixation; D006085:Graft Survival / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000502:physiology; D010010:Osteoclasts / Q000502:physiology; D010012:Osteogenesis; D010521:Periosteum; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D014021:Tissue Preservation