Evaluating a Nanocrystalline Hydroxyapatite Bone Graft Substitute for the Treatment of Benign Bone Tumours

An increasingly popular method of treating benign bone tumours among orthopaedic surgeons involves curettage and subsequent bone grafting. Synthetic bone grafts obviate some of the limitations of harvesting autograft and the use of allografts, and there are an increasing number of products available. A new bone graft using nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite (NanoBone® Bone Graft Substitute, Artoss GmbH, Rostock, Germany) was used in 98 patients treated for benign bone tumours. Patients were followed for a minimum of 6 months out to 2.5 years. Maturation of the bone graft with increasing difficulty of distinguishing the geographic border of the bone graft from the normal bone was observed in many cases as early as 4 weeks and in all patients by 12 weeks. Trabecular new bone formation growing through the bone graft indicating remodelling was also evident in all patients after 12 weeks. There were no cases of bone graft or bony resorption and repeat bone grafting was not required in any patients. Nanocrystalline hydroxyapatite provides for a simple and effective means of bone grafting and void filling of bone, following curettage of benign bone tumours in the appendicular skeleton. The abstract can be read, and the full paper can be obtained here.