MUSCLE PEDICLE BONE GRAFTS

Abstract

IN A SERIES of experiments on mongrel dogs, we attempted to compare the reaction and fate of cancellous bone transplanted as a free graft with the reaction and fate of cancellous bone transplanted with a muscle pedicle. The pedicle bone graft was transplanted within the limit of the blood supply of its muscle pedicle and without disturbing the periosteal attachment of the muscle to the bone. If the muscle pedicle was of sufficient width, not too long, and not stretched or twisted, the cut surface of the attached bone graft continued to bleed. Hellstadius¹transplanted pedicle bone grafts on a number of rabbits. For his experiments he obtained the grafts from the radius and greater trochanter. His conclusion was that there was no particular difference in the fate of pedicle bone grafts and that of nonpedicle bone grafts. However, he had used cortical or cancellous bone with a pedicle