Bone Grafts Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Bone Grafts, including details on spine fusion, surgery, procedure, risks.

Bone graft substitutes.

Laurencin C, Khan Y, El-Amin SF

University of Virginia School of Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Biomedical Engineering & Chemical Engineering, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA. ctl3f@virginia.edu

The current gold standard of bone grafts is the autograft since it possesses all the characteristics necessary for new bone growth, namely osteoconductivity, osteogenicity and osteoinductivity. However, the autograft has its limitations, including donor-site morbidity and supply limitations, hindering this as an option for bone repair. An extensive list of currently available alternatives to bone grafts is provided, along with a classification scheme that divides these bone graft substitutes into five groups depending on the primary material composition: allograft, cell, factor, ceramic and polymer. Of the bone graft substitutes listed, several are discussed in detail. Beyond the current state of the art, attention is paid to what lies ahead in the field of bone graft substitutes. Biodegradable composite structures and various new architectures are discussed, as are newly developed polymeric materials, with tissue engineering providing the platform for future directions within this discipline.

Published 19 December 2005 in Expert Rev Med Devices, 3(1): 49-57.
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