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Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Direct Mouse Trauma/Burn Model of Heterotopic Ossification
Published on: August 6, 2015
Heterotopic Ossification: Basic-Science Principles and Clinical Correlates
Kavitha Ranganathan1, Shawn Loder1, Shailesh Agarwal1
1Department of Surgery, University of Michigan Health Systems, 1500 East Medical Center Drive, Taubman Center, XPC 5340, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-0219. E-mail address for B. Levi: blevi@umich.edu.
Abstract:
➤ Heterotopic ossification occurs most commonly after joint arthroplasty, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, blast trauma, elbow and acetabular fractures, and thermal injury.➤ The conversion of progenitor cells to osteogenic precursor cells as a result of cell-mediated interactions with the local tissue environment is affected by oxygen tension, pH, availability of micronutrients, and mechanical stimuli, and leads to heterotopic ossification.➤ Radiation and certain nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications are important methods of prophylaxis against heterotopic ossification.➤ Well-planned surgical excision can improve patient outcomes regardless of the joint involved or the initial cause of injury.➤ Future therapeutic strategies are focused on targeted inhibition of local factors and signaling pathways that catalyze ectopic bone formation.
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