Assessment of bone graft substitutes in autopsy implant retrievals of the acetabulum in total hip arthroplasty

Two autopsy retrievals of acetabular reconstruction with different bone graft substitutes were analyzed. One patient underwent surgery with hydroxyapatite (HA) granules, and the other with demineralized bone chips. Incorporation occurred with the biomaterial bone-graft substitute HA primarily in the superior part of the acetabulum, where the HA was in contact with host cortical bone. No bony union occurred with the demineralized bone chips because of motion and migration of the acetabular cup. No bone incorporation of either bone-graft substitute was observed in the medial wall defects in both patients. There were two important findings: (1) the 3- to 8-mm depth and 70% to 75% surface of union of the HA bone graft substitute to host cortical bone was the same as seen with morselized, fresh-frozen bone graft; and (2) union of graft material to host bone was dependent on secure fixation of the acetabular construct.