BONE AS BIOMATERIAU

The use of deep frozen allografts is not a recent technic. The evoluti on of the conservative technics authorize a sufficent preservation of osseous and cartilaginous structure. The clinical results are consider ed as good in most of the cases. The intra medullary cells are most in volved in immunological responses but clinically speaking only 10 % to 20 % of the case treated has a reject. The becoming of the grafted ti ssue is best if the recipient is young, the graft well fixed and the m uscular surrounding well vascularized. 454 grafts and 64 massive osteo chondral allografts have been archived between 1979 and 1993 for traum atic, tumoral, and surgical deseases. The results have been considered as good or excellent in 85 % of the cases. The actuel problems are th e biomechanical behaviour of the ligamentary revascularization and fix ation which gives in numerous cases a high percentage of loosening.