Why would my surgeon seek an alternative to autograft or allograft?
Although autograft is considered to be the “gold standard” of bone grafting, often times the volume needed for the grafting procedure cannot be obtained. Autograft harvest adds time to the surgery, and about 20-30% of patients undergoing autograft harvest from the hip experience post-operative pain for 6 months – 2 years following surgery. Although allograft can be a replacement for autograft, the biological healing properties are not as good as autograft. Additionally, there can be variability between different lots of allograft. There is also a potential risk of infection or disease transmission from allograft tissue that can never be completely eliminated.
