Elsevier

Injury

Volume 40, Issue 12, December 2009, Pages 1260-1264
Injury

Review
Fresh-frozen vs. irradiated allograft bone in orthopaedic reconstructive surgery

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.injury.2009.01.116Get rights and content

Abstract

The use of allograft bone is increasingly common in orthopaedic reconstruction procedures. The optimal method of preparation of allograft bone is subject of great debate. Proponents of fresh-frozen graft cite improved biological and biomechanical characteristics relative to irradiated material, whereas fear of bacterial or viral transmission warrants some to favour irradiated graft. Careful review of the literature is necessary to appreciate the influence of processing techniques on bone quality. Whereas limited clinical trials are available to govern the selection of appropriate bone graft, this review presents the argument favouring the use of fresh-frozen bone allograft as compared to irradiated bone.

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Conflict of Interest

Neither author has received any financial contributions relevant to this article, nor do they have any personal relationship with any persons affiliated with organizations which could inappropriately bias this work. D. Costain's Orthopaedic Fellow salary is partly funded by Stryker.

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