Low-temperature heat-deproteinated compact bone to heal large bone defects

The potential of low-temperature (400 °C), heat-treated bone matrix in osteorepair has been evaluated in vivo by implantation into defects artificially created in rodent tibia. Histological and ultrastructural analysis of the bone-implant interface has been carried out on samples obtained at 1 to 6 weeks from operation. The obtained data showed that calcined bone is well tolerated and does not cause acute or chronic inflammatory reactions. Osteoid tissue, tightly adhered to the implant, appears within 2 weeks of the operation, while after 6 weeks newly formed bone surrounds and infiltrates the implant. Of greater note, the detection of good adhesion between bone and implant ultrastructurally is demonstrated by the absence of fibrillar connective tissue at the interface. For these reasons, our preliminary observations suggest that low-temperature calcined bone (biological apatite or heatdeproteinated bone) may have a rightful place among the osteointegrators.