Electrically stimulated periosteal grafting in the rat.

Osteogenesis of the periosteum was examined in rats. The periosteum electrically stimulated for 6 days was grafted into the axillar muscle, and new bone tissue was found in 40 out of 44 animals (90.9%). Periosteum without stimulation and that with only 2 days of electrical stimulation did not generate new bone tissue. The periosteum electrically stimulated for 4 days did not show substantial new bone formation in the muscle. The periosteal tissue which was initially electrically stimulated for 6 days was definitely transformed into new bone tissue in the muscle. This shows that boneless bone grafting can be accomplished successfully in rats by electrically stimulating the periosteum before grafting. Periosteal grafting is considered to be potentially valuable as a boneless bone grafting technique.