Bone Grafting

Densah Burs – OsseoDensification Bur Kit

Versah, a company started by Michigan Periodontist, Dr. Salah Huwais , have designed a set of multi-fluted osseodensification burs for implant placement. Osseodensification is a novel, biomechanical, non-excavation preparation method that compacts and autografts bone during the osteotomy. The burs will remove bone when spun clockwise, however when spun counterclockwise they collect and compact bone chips into the osteotomy wall and result in greater local bone density and higher insertion torques. They can also be used for internal sinus lifts

MIT NanoTech Team produces a Super Glue for Implants

An Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) research team that may have found a way to make bone implants less likely to fail using a high-tech adhesive that more securely bonds implants to bone by promoting cell growth between natural and artificial body parts. In a study published in the June 26 online edition of Science Translational Medicine, the MIT team and its collaborators from several other institutions reported that the implant adhesive — a multilayered coating of ceramic and nanolayers

Harvard / Yale Study examines increased cost Of Medtronics`s Infuse Bone Growth Protein use

The use in spine surgery of bone-growth proteins like Medtronic Inc.’s product Infuse has led to widespread nationwide increases in hospital charges ranging from 11% to 41% above conventional surgical costs, researchers found. The researchers studied the results of a broad U.S. sample of 328,000 spine surgeries from 2002 through 2006. They report their findings this week in JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association. The authors, from both Brigham & Women’s Hospital in Boston and from Yale, also

Cerapedics Develops Peptide Coated Bone Grafting Material

Cerapedic`s i-FACTOR bone graft is the only biologic bone graft that combines a unique anorganic bone mineral (ABM) and small peptide (P-15™) to act as an attachment factor for specific integrins on osteogenic cells. This novel mechanism of action enhances the body’s natural bone healing process resulting in safe, predictable bone formation at a lower cost than growth factors. ABM/P-15 has been in human clinical use for more than thirteen years in an estimated 500,000 patients worldwide. P-15 is a

Laser Melting produces Custom Fit Bone Replacement Graft

The body can heal minor bone injuries itself – but with major injuries, it needs help. Researchers at the Fraunhofer Institute for Laser Technology have developed a process called Selective Laser Melting (SLM) by which a razor-thin laser beam melts pulverized material layer-by-layer to produce structures that may be as delicate as 80 to 100 micrometers. The porous canals create a lattice structure which the adjacent bones can grow into. Its basic structure consists of the synthetic polylactide, or PLA

Osteo-Alchemy: Turning Wood into Bone

Anna Tampieri at the Institute of Science and Technology for Ceramics, Faenza, and colleagues have turned wood into bone mimics that could be used to repair damaged limbs. The Italian scientists were inspired by nature`s highly organised hierarchial structures to make porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds with structures similar to that of real bone. The scaffolds `pave the way for realising prosthetic devices which could get closer to the extraordinary performance of human tissues`, they claim. The team heated the wood to

Infuse Bone Graft Study Faked by US Army Surgeon

A former US Army orthropedic surgeon, Dr. Timothy Kuklo, previously accused of falsifying a study on a bone growth product used on severely injured Iraq war veterans has resigned his teaching position at Washington University in St. Louis. He was placed on leave earlier this year while the university investigated charges against him. Medtronic, a maker of the bone growth product Infuse, also suspended his consulting contract. The company paid him nearly $800,000 the last few years. An investigation last

NY Oral Surgeon gets 18-54 yrs in Jail for Bodysnatching

Michael Mastromarino, the leader of the body-snatching ring that plundered the corpse of broadcaster Alistair Cooke apologized to the victims as he was sentenced to 18-54 years in prison. “I am deeply sorry for all the emotional pain I have caused to donor families and donor recipients,” he told the Brooklyn Supreme Court in New York. Mastromarino once ran a dental practice on New York`s Fifth Avenue specializing in dental implant surgery. But he was forced to surrender his dental

Oral Surgeon pleads guilty in NY Bone Snatching Case

Michael Mastromarino, 44, was arrested nearly two years ago, and this month he plead guilty. Mastromarino and two of his associates were charged in 2006 with enterprise corruption, body stealing, opening graves, unlawful dissection and forgery. Authorities released photos of exhumed corpses that were boned below the waist. They said the defendants had made a crude attempt to cover their tracks by sewing PVC pipe back into the bodies in time for open-casket wakes. The bodies came from funeral homes

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