The Healing and Transplantation of Scull.

Abstract : The major thrust of our research over t he past three years has been to study the time course of incorporation and remodeling of transplanted skull at 6 weeks, 12 weeks and 6 months, and to compare grafts/implants prepared by different methods. Spontaneous repair of cranial defects is highly variable among dogs. Most of the ingrowth occurs before 6 weeks. Later, between 12 weeks and 6 months, the dogs with thicker skulls continue to show spontaneous repair of defects. The fresh autograft is the superior matrix for reconstructing skull. Both the decalcified (AAA) allo- and autografts undergo greater resorption than fresh autografts, but a greater percentage of the remaining decalcified graft is new bone. Decalcified (AAA) grafts placed in recipient skulls with large diploe (thick skulls) remodel better than those placed in skulls with very little diploic space (thin skulls). Spatial patterns of new bone formation differ in decalcified (AAA) auto- and alloimplants from fresh and frozen autografts. At 12 weeks decalcified (AAA) allogeneic bone powder (size undetermined) and such bone powder in conjunction with decalcified cortical bone remodeled about the same as the decalcified (AAA) implants. However, earlier at 6 weeks decalcified bone powder has undergone greater remodeling than either the decalcified (AAA) allograft or the fresh autograft.