[Effect of periosteum on induced bone formation by autolyzed, antigen-extracted, allogeneic bone. Determination of...

Autolyzed, antigen-extracted, allogenic (AAA) bone is an osteoinductive preparation of completely demineralized bone matrix. It has been clinically applied for years. In an experimental study in rabbits, we evaluated the influence of cortical bone and periosteum on the amount of bone formation following augmentation with AAA bone. Two implants of standardized size were placed on the femoral bone of rabbits. A cell-excluding PTFE membrane was wrapped circularly around the femur as well as the anterior implant shielding the implant from the surrounding periosteum. The posterior implant was exposed directly to the periosteum while being shielded from the cortical bone by the membrane. Thus, two compartments were created selectively, preventing contact between the periosteum or cortical bone and the implants. For each compartment the area and volume of the induced new bone were evaluated by computerized radiograph analysis and quantitative CT (pQCT) scans. Implantation of AAA bone led to new bone formation in both compartments. Contact of the periosteum and the implant led to an almost four-fold increase in bone volume. Although bone formation showed interindividual variations, the difference of both compartments was highly significant using the Student's t-test for paired samples (P < 0.0001). The data show that periosteum is the primary source of new bone formation in augmentations with osteoinductive materials as it is rich in inducible progenitor cells and is well vascularized. In osseous augmentations with AAA bone, the periosteum should be preserved in order to achieve a close contact of the osteoinductive implant. Shielding from the periosteum, e.g., by cell-excluding membranes, leads to significantly less bone formation following implantation of AAA bone and should therefore be avoided.