title: Fate of allogenic bone graft for sternal support in pectus excavatum repair.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Techniques for pectus excavatum repair are based on sternal support using various implants that have been reported to cause complications including migration and perforation of adjacent vital organs. Thus the search for an ideal sternal support is ongoing. This study aimed to assess the feasibility and fate of allogenic bone grafts as a durable sternal support for pectus excavatum repair.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pectus excavatum deformities in 3 men were corrected by modified Ravitch repair using allogeneic bone grafts for sternal support. Postoperatively, the patients were followed up for 3 years. Chest computed tomography and bone scans were performed to identify radiological features relevant to the stability, viability, and fate of the bone grafts.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The postoperative course was uneventful in all patients. Cosmetic correction was rated as very good with patient satisfaction. Bone scans showed progressively increasing activity in the graft, indicating an ongoing process of neovascularization. Chest computed tomography showed not only bone resorption, new bone formation, and remodeling but also incorporation of the graft into the sternum and corresponding ribs through newly generated, normally configured sternocostal segments.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As seen radiologically, this technique offers a model for sternal support that has the potential to incorporate into the host tissue through newly generated, normally configured sternocostal segments, without restriction of chest wall expansion, features that have not been previously reported.
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia mashour98@kfshrc.edu.sa.
authors.forename: Mahmoud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ashour
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohommad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rafay
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Waleed
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohamed
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Robaidi
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alamassi
authors.affiliation: Division of Thoracic Surgery, King Faisal Specialist Hospital & Research Center, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: Khaled
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Al Kattan
mesh_terms: D016723:Bone Remodeling; D016025:Bone Transplantation / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005660:Funnel Chest / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D006085:Graft Survival; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016348:Osseointegration; D013249:Sternum / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000601:surgery*; D013977:Tibia / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000637:transplantation*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014184:Transplantation, Homologous; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Bone transplantation; Funnel chest; Osteogenesis; Sternum