Effect of Soft Tissue Implantation on the Healing of Static Bony Defects

¹ College of Dentistry, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky

To determine the ability of autologous tissue to prevent reossification, muscle, fascia, and full-thickness skin were implanted in static defects created in guinea pig tibias.

It was found that full-thickness skin was undesirable for this purpose because cysts developed in the majority of animals. Fascia and muscle effectively prevented reossification of the defects up through 32 weeks. The fascia remained viable throughout the experimental period, and the muscle was replaced by fibrous connective tissue. Therefore, it appears that fascia and muscle are suitable materials for use in interposition arthroplasty inasmuch as, even in static defects, no reossification was seen.