1ST CLINICAL-RESULTS WITH HEAT-TREATED BO NE ALLOGRAFTS

Several ways for HIV inactivation in bone allografts are being discuss ed. These methods must be efficient, but they must not compromise biol ogic properties of the allografts. According to animal studies, modera te heat treatment of bone allografts in a 65-degrees-C waterbath has n o adverse effects on osseointegration. A clinical follow-up study of 4 9 patients with heat treated bone allografts was conducted. 37 patient s with conventional cryopreserved allografts were included in the stud y as controls. Average follow-up time was 27 months. Results were eval uated by clinical and X-ray examination, using a modified radiologic s core. No significant differences in the two groups were detected, exce pt for a slight retardation in bony integration of the heat treated al lografts between week 39 and 52 postoperatively. Complication rates we re 11,4% vs. 10,7%. In conclusion, moderate heat treatment of bone all ografts appears to be a practicable and safe method to improve safety in bone transplantation in clinical practice. In addition to the known guide lines for bone banking heat treating of allografts should be fu rther improved in order to minimize the low remaining risk of infectio n which exists despite of the three months test.