Freeze-drying and gamma irradiation are commonly used for preservation and sterilization in bone banking. The cumulative effects of preparation and sterilization of cancellous graft material have not been adequately studied, despite the clinical importance of graft material in orthopaedic surgery. Taking benefit from the symmetry of the left and right femoral heads, the influence of lipid extraction followed by freeze-drying of a femoral head and a final 25-kGy gamma irradiation was determined, with the nonirradiated, nonprocessed counterpart as the control. Five hundred and fifty-six compression tests were performed (137 pairs for the first treatment and 141 pairs for the second). Mechanical tests were performed after 30 minutes of rehydration in saline solution. Freeze-dried femoral heads that had undergone lipid extraction experienced reductions of 18.9 and 20.2% in ultimate strength and stiffness, respectively. Unexpectedly, the work to failure did not decrease after this treatment. The addition of gamma irradiation resulted in a mean drop of 42.5% in ultimate strength. Stiffness of the processed bone was not modified by the final irradiation, with an insignificant drop of 24%, whereas work to failure was reduced by a mean of 71.8%. Freeze-dried bone was a bit less strong and stiff than its frozen control. Its work to failure was not reduced, due to more deformation in the nonlinear domain, and it was not brittle after 30 minutes of rehydration. Final irradiation of the freeze-dried bone weakened its mechanical resistance, namely by the loss of its capacity to absorb the energy (in a plastic way) and a subsequent greater brittleness.

Background Impaction bone grafting with large particles is considered as mechanically superior to smaller morsels interest of freeze-dried irradiated bone for impaction bone grafting has been observed with small particles. Influence of bone process on other particle sizes still needed to be assessedMaterial and methods Twenty-four osteoarthrotic femoral heads were used to prepare fresh-frozen and freeze-dried irradiated cancellous bone Each group was divided into four batches of different particle sizes, each batch containing 18 samples. The different particle sizes were obtained with a Retsch Cross Beater Mill SK100, Noviomagus rotating bone mills with two sizes of rasps and a Luer bone rongeur. Bone grafts were impacted in a contained cylinder. Stiffness was monitored during impaction.Results: Freeze-dried irradiated grafts showed higher stiffness than fresh-frozen bone whatever the size of the particles Large particles obtained with the rongeur and the large rasp from the Noviomagus bone mill were mechanically superior than small particles up to 30 impactions. Interpretation Large particles offer better mechanical performance as a greater magnitude of force would be required to deform and break the particles. Freeze-dried irradiated bone brittleness reduces this advantage after 30 impactions Large particles embrittlement leads to similar mechanical results as small particles at higher impaction rate This may account for partial collapse of the graft layer in clinical situation when impaction rate is lower. This model supports the use of small particles obtained with thin rasp bone mill when freeze-dried irradiated bone for impaction bone grafting and large particles obtained with the Rongeur when fresh-frozen bone is available. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd All rights reserved.

Background The need for safe bone allografts is increasing and preservation of femoral heads from patients being operated on with hip arthroplasty should be encouraged. However, should we preserve femoral heads from patients operated on for neck fracture as tissue mechanical quality may not be satisfactory?Material and methods We compared the evolution of stiffness and compactness of fresh-frozen morselized bone obtained from osteoarthrotic femoral heads and those from neck fractures. Both materials were also compared after freeze-drying and irradiation. We used 6 osteoarthrotic and 6 neck-fracture femoral heads to prepare 4 batches of morselized bone. 18 samples from each batch were impacted in a contained cylinder. Frozen bone grafts were tested after thawing at room temperature for 2 hours and freeze-dried grafts were tested after 30 minutes of rehydration.Results The stiffness of fresh-frozen neck fracture bone was lower than that of fresh-frozen osteoarthrotic bone at 150 impactions. The stiffness of freeze-dried irradiated bone was higher than that of the fresh-frozen bone and did not differ between osteoarthrotic and neck-fracture bone.Interpretation Solvent-treated freeze-dried bone from femoral heads procured during arthroplasty for sub-capital hip fractures represents a valuable source of material for allografts, addressing concerns regarding serological testing, medical history and bone quality.

Background Defatted bone chips with or without freeze-drying and irradiation have mechanical advantages as compared to fresh-frozen controls in in vitro models of impaction. These improved results have been ascribed to replacement of viscous bone marrow by saline and embrittlement of the freeze-dried bone by irradiation.Material and methods To determine which of these hypotheses is correct, we compared the development of stiffness and compactness of morselized. bone graft that had been: 1) fat-reduced with saline, and 2) fresh-frozen, solvent-detergent defatted, 3) freeze-dried irradiated and 4) not irradiated. We used 12 osteoarthrotic femoral heads to prepare these four batches of morselized bone, and impacted 18 samples from each batch in a cylinder. The frozen bone grafts were tested after thawing at room temperature for 2 hours and the freeze-dried grafts were tested after 30 minutes of rehydration. We monitored the development of compactness and stiffness of the material during impaction.Results The stiffness of the freeze-dried irradiated bone was greater than that of the other three series after 10, 50 and 150 impactions. The freeze-dried bone chips that were not irradiated and the chips defatted with saline alone were less stiff than the fresh-frozen control after 150 impactions.Interpretation The brittleness of freeze-dried irradiated bone, caused by loss of the capacity to absorb energy in a plastic way, increases the compactness and stiffness of the morselized grafts. Washing bone with saline alone or treating bone with solvent-detergent but no irradiation had no similar mechanical advantage and the bone did not impact better than fresh-frozen undefatted bone in our model.

Processed freeze-dried irradiated allografts seem to be used less than instead of fresh-frozen allografts for impaction bone grafting in revision hip arthroplasties. Although biologically acceptable, their use is discouraged because of their questionable mechanical properties following freeze-drying and irradiation procedures. To address this question, we impacted freeze-dried grafts in 6 cadaveric femurs and loaded with a cemented Charnley prosthesis. The routinely used fresh-frozen allografts were used as controls in the contralateral side. These constructs were compared simultaneously in a walking hip simulator for their stability during 900,000 loading cycles. The mechanical parameters were axial inducible displacement and subsidence of the implant. The former parameter was lower in the implant mounted on freeze-dried impacted grafts than that mounted on the fresh-frozen bone. The latter parameter was also lower in the freeze-dried group. At the end of the test, we found no implant loosening in either group and their 'pull out' resulted in cement-prosthesis debonding, which showed the mechanical integrity of the impacted grafts. Freeze-dried grafts provide more stable fixation of the stem than fresh-frozen morselized grafts, when tested in a hip simulator.

In the technique of impaction bone grafting, implant stability depends on the mechanical properties of the impacted morselized grafts. Although the procedure is usually performed with fresh-frozen femoral heads, there is still some concern about their supply and safety. Bone processing is a potential solution, but the mechanical properties of this material during and after impaction need to be determined. We used 6 osteoarthrotic femoral heads to prepare two paired batches of morselized bone. One batch was morselized and frozen. The other batch was chemically treated, morselized, freeze-dried and then gamma-irradiated. We impacted 18 samples from each batch in a contained cylinder. Freeze-dried bone grafts were tested after 30 minutes of rehydration. The changes in the compactness and stiffness of the material were monitored during the impaction. The compaction of the freeze-dried bone was faster than that of their fresh-frozen control. The maximal stiffness reached by both materials was the same (55 MPa), but the freeze-dried grafts required three to four times fewer impactions to achieve that stiffness. After 3, 10 and 50 impactions the freeze-dried bone was stiffer than the fresh-frozen bone. As it is easier to impact, the freeze-dried bone may be mechanically more efficient than the fresh-frozen bone in surgical conditions. Moreover, the processed bone meets the highest safety standards, as regards the risk of disease transmission.

The mechanical properties of the impacted material is important when using impaction bone grafting in revision arthroplasty. We did an in vitro study to monitor the stiffness and compactness of morsellized bone grafts during impaction. Using human osteoarthrotic femoral heads as the bone source we prepared 3 types of morselized grafts with the same bone mill: (1) purely cancellous grafts, (2) cortico-cancellous grafts and (3) cortico-cancellous bone with cartilage remnants. 5 g of bone samples were progressively impacted up to 150 times in a contained cavity. All types of grafts became stiffer and stiffer during the first 30 impactions. After 30 impactions, the grafts' compactness continued to increase slowly without concomitant changes in their stiffness. Over-impaction was not useful, but did not jeopardize the implant stability. The presence of cartilage remnants considerably compromised the increase in stiffness. In contrast, the addition of cortical bone from the femoral neck did not affect the impaction and resultant stiffness.