A study of autologous cancellous bone particles in long bone discontinuity defects.

Long bone discontinuity defects in dogs were restored by particulate autologous cancellous bone grafts and a Dacron-urethane mesh implant. In six months the discontinuity defects were filled by new bone formation, which was analyzed histologically, radiographically, and by densitometric methods. The postulated mechanism is a field phenomenon of bone induction. The discontinuity defects remained unrestored in the control groups without bone graft material. In the dogs killed at three months incorporation of the graft material was incomplete in the central area of the defect.