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Biological effects of calcium sulfate as a bone graft substitute in ovine metaphyseal defects
Author(s) -
Peters Christopher L.,
Hines Jerod L.,
Bachus Kent N.,
Craig Marcis A.,
Bloebaum Roy D.
Publication year - 2005
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.30569
Subject(s) - calcium , materials science , bone healing , dentistry , biomedical engineering , medicine , anatomy , metallurgy
Calcium sulfate has been used as a bone graft substitute in many fields, from dentistry to orthopedics. However, the results of many studies have yielded inconclusive results. In the present study, a sheep model was used with tibial and femoral metaphyseal defects to determine whether calcium sulfate was as effective as autograft and allograft in promoting new bone formation in a critical size defect. Medical‐grade calcium sulfate pellets, autograft bone, allograft bone, or nothing was used to fill the metaphyseal defects. The sheep were allowed to heal for 12 weeks. Sagittal sections from the bones were analyzed with high‐resolution contact radiographs, backscattered electron microscopy, and light microscopy. The volume fractions of bone within the defect perimeter were determined, and the histologic quality of the bone was observed. The volume fraction of new bone in the autograft, calcium sulfate, and allograft were not statistically different, but all were significantly different than the untreated control. The majority of the calcium sulfate had been resorbed at 12 weeks, and the histologic quality of the bone appeared similar to the autograft‐treated bone. Calcium sulfate appears to be a useful biocompatible bone graft substitute that yields results similar to autograft bone in sheep metaphyseal defects. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res, 2006