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Very long-term radiographic and bone scan results of frozen autograft and allograft bone grafting in 17 patients (20 grafts) a 30- to 35-year follow-up

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Abstract

In the early 1950s, 48 patients received bone implants from a bone bank in Tel-Hashomer Hospital that stored frozen autograft and allograft bones at temperatures less than −17 °C. Seventeen (35%) of these patients (20 implants), 10 men and 7 women, with a mean age of 52.4 (34–69) years were available for follow-up after a mean period of 32.5 (30–35) years. They underwent clinical examination, radiographs and bone scans to evaluate their surgical results. Fracture healing, non-union, graft resorption, osteoporosis and bone sclerosis were used as radiographic criteria for bone incorporation, and normal, increased and decreased uptake served to assess the bone scan. Based on the above criteria, the results were satisfactory in 17 (85%) and poor in 3 (15%). The three failures were after shelf operation for hip dysplasia that used two allografts and one autograft. Allogenous or a combination of allogenous with autogenous frozen bone grafts proved to be a satisfactory and durable method for filling bone defects.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery ‘B’, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center, Israel

    Ely L. Steinberg & Elhanan Luger

  2. Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, Tel Hashomer, The Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 64239, Israel

    Tila Zwas & Alexander Katznelson

Authors
  1. Ely L. Steinberg
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  2. Elhanan Luger
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  3. Tila Zwas
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  4. Alexander Katznelson
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Correspondence to Ely L. Steinberg.

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Steinberg, E.L., Luger, E., Zwas, T. et al. Very long-term radiographic and bone scan results of frozen autograft and allograft bone grafting in 17 patients (20 grafts) a 30- to 35-year follow-up. Cell Tissue Banking 5, 97–104 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CATB.0000034084.27772.66

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:CATB.0000034084.27772.66

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