HEALING OF A TIBIAL DOUBLE OSTEOTOMY IS MODIFIED BY CLODRONATE ADMINISTRATION - AN EXPERIMENTAL-STUDY

We studied the healing of tibial double osteotomies in rats during clo dronate administration 10 mg/kg daily subcutaneously for 6 weeks. Clod ronate treatment did not inhibit the endochondral bone formation in ca llus or in the epiphyseal plate. The differentiation of osteoblasts in to mature osteocytes was disturbed, and the bone structure around the osteocytes was not normal. In the clodronate-treated group, the amount of newly formed bone matrix seemed increased, but mineralization of t he bone matrix was delayed. The bundle bone trabeculae in callus were not so spatially well organized as in the controls. No delay in the un ion of the bone segment by new bone was seen during clodronate adminis tration.