Editorial Type:
Article Category: Research Article
 | 
Online Publication Date: 01 Aug 2011

Bone Remodeling in Onlay Beta-Tricalcium Phosphate and Coral Grafts to Rat Calvaria: Microcomputerized Tomography Analysis

DMD,
DMD, MSc,
DMD, and
DMD
Page Range: 379 – 386
DOI: 10.1563/AAID-JOI-D-09-00128.1
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Abstract

This study was conducted to establish the efficiency of microcomputerized tomography (micro-CT) in detection of trabecular bone remodeling of onlay grafts in a rodent calvaria model, and to compare bone remodeling after onlay grafts with beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) or coral calcium carbonate. Ten rats received calvarial onlay blocks—5 with TCP and 5 with coral calcium carbonate. The grafts were fixed with a titanium miniplate screw and were covered with a collagen resorbable membrane. Three months after surgery, the calvaria were segmented, and a serial 3-dimensional micro-CT scan of the calvarium and grafted bone block at 16-micrometer resolution was performed. Image analysis software was used to calculate the percentage of newly formed bone from the total block size. Newly formed bone was present adjacent to the calvarium and screw in all specimens. The mean area of newly formed bone of the total block size ranged from 34.67%–38.34% in the TCP blocks, and from 32.41%–34.72% in the coral blocks. In the TCP blocks, bone remodeling was found to be slightly higher than in the coral blocks. Micro-CT appears to be a precise, reproducible, specimen-nondestructive method of analysis of bone formation in onlay block grafts to rat calvaria.

Copyright: 2011 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine
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F igure 1.

Surgical method: (a) Block graft and fixed screw in place. (b) Positioning of collagen membrane over graft and screw. (c) Closure of operation site.


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Examples of specimens after killing: (a) Coral block. (b) Beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) block.


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Axial and coronal reconstructions of beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) bone block, demonstrating manual outline of newly formed bone. (Outline of total block size omitted for clarity). Long arrows: location of newly formed bone, outlined by bold black line. Short arrows: grafted TCP block with no bone replacement. Black arrow (coronal): location of calvaria.


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Selected reconstructions in 3 dimensions. (a) Beta-tricalcium phosphate (TCP). (b) Coral blocks in the region of the block-screw-cranium interphase. Note: Increased bone formation between threads of screw, circumferential to the screw and at the cranium-block interphase.


Contributor Notes

Corresponding author, e-mail: DrorAllon@gmail.com
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