Repair of critical size defects in the rabbit calvarium with the use of a novel scaffold material.

A number of materials have been implanted into skull defects to determine if improved healing outcomes can be achieved. In some instances, packing or implanting bone-inducing alloplasts into a standardized skull defect results in better healing than an untreated defect. AlloDerm is a skin derived acellular collagen membrane and has characteristics that are known to be effective in promoting bone growth. It has not been previously investigated for use in cranial bone healing. The aim of the investigation was to determine if implanting this novel scaffold into skull defects will improve the quality of bone repair. Six rabbits received AlloDerm grafts into critical-sized calvarial defects. The rabbits were sacrificed at two months and the specimens examined histologically and radiographically. At the time of sacrifice, it was found that while bony growth had commenced at the margins of the defect and as isolated islands within the graft, there did not appear to be a major benefit in using the material described.