Osteogenesis after bone and bone marrow transplantation. The ability of ceramic materials to sustain osteogenesis from transplanted bone marrow cells: preliminary studies.

The ability of four different ceramic materials to support osteogenesis when placed with bone marrow into an intermuscular site was studied. In the search for biodegradable porous ceramic materials that could be used for bone replacement and that would slowly be replaced by bone by means of "creeping substitution," the authors fabricated porous alumina, calcium aluminate, calcium hydroxyapatite, and tricalcium phosphate. Specially shaped compacts, impregnated with autologous bone marrow, were inserted into intermuscular pouches in rabbits and retrieved after 14-182 days. Newly formed bone was found within the contents of the well after 14 days and was visible at all times up to 182 days. The bone was frequently found to have adhered to the ceramic and to have penetrated the interior if the pore size was greater than 100 micron. Further investigation of the use of synthetic materials in bone replacement is warranted due to the finding that some porous ceramic material permit bony ingrowth from autologous marrow cells.