Potential of autogenous or fresh-frozen allogeneic bone block grafts for bone remodelling: a histological, histometrical, and immunohistochemical analysis in rabbits

Our aim was to compare the wound healing of autogenous bone grafts with that of fresh-frozen allogeneic block bone in rabbits. We used 25 animals. One was killed before the experiment to provide the allogeneic bone, and the remainder were killed at four time points (n = 6 in each group). On histometrical analysis there was a significant difference between the two groups only at 45 days and between 15 and 45 days in the intergroup analysis. However, there was significantly more revascularisation (p < 0.05), resorption (p < 0.05), and bony replacement (p < 0.05) in the autogenous group in the immunohistochemical analysis. In later periods, the autogenous bone was replaced by newly-formed bone in all samples, whereas it was always possible to find regions of devitalised bone in the fresh-frozen allogeneic bone grafts. Autogenous grafts were completely replaced whereas, in the fresh- frozen allogeneic grafts, we found acellular tissue that had been incorporated into the receptor bed interface during the later evaluation times.