Methods of banking bone and cartilage for allograft transplantation.

Storage of bone for use as allograft has become an important endeavor because banked bone is becoming increasingly useful and popular as a substitute for, or as a supplement to, autograft bone. Methods have been developed for safe and reliable bone banking, including standard criteria for acceptable donors, proven techniques of retrieval of tissue, and appropriate storage facilities and conditions. In contrast, cartilage banking is still an investigative procedure, but current research may provide more effective approaches to maintaining viable cells during freezer storage of osteochondral allografts.