On-lay grafting of a calcium hydroxyapatite bone substitute: A preliminary animal experimental study

Bone substitutes are widely accepted for various clinical applications. However, the usage is predominantly intraosseous implantation, whereas extraosseous on-lay grafting is rare and lacks scientific evidence. The purpose of this study is to elucidate whether osteoconduction occurs in on-lay grafted bone substitute.

Custom-made interconnected porous calcium hydroxyapatite ceramic (IPCHA) was on-lay grafted with screw or anchor fixation (S- and A-groups, respectively) at the anterior aspect of the femur of skeletally mature Japanese white rabbits. At 3, 6 and 12 weeks postoperatively, 4 samples for each time point and each group were evaluated by microfocus computed tomography (micro-CT) and histology.

Volume-rendered three-dimensional micro-CT images showed a high-density calcified area infiltrating IPCHA from the femoral cortex as of 6 weeks. When quantified, the calcified volume per unit volume first showed no difference between the two groups at 3 weeks but increased over time, and became significantly greater in the S-group than in the A-group (p = 0.012 and 0.004 at 6 and 12 weeks, respectively). Histologically, IPCHA pores were first occupied by fibrous tissue at 3 weeks; then, the pores adjacent to the femoral cortex were gradually replaced by bony tissue as of 6 weeks for both fixations.

IPCHA allowed new bone formation inside the material even though it was implanted in an on-lay fashion on the cortical bone. Our results suggested that on-lay grafted IPCHA exerted its osteoconductivity well, with more new bone forming in screw-fixated samples than in anchor-fixated samples.