Tissue engineering solutions for traumatic bone loss.

Tissue engineering strategies for the repair, replacement, or augmentation of bone defects involves the use of cells, matrices, and bioregulatory factors. The source (endogenous, exogenous) and character of these factors, however, may vary greatly among the many approaches taken by current investigators. Although the results of current tissue engineering methods for regenerating bone have shown great promise, the extent of damage to extremities associated with war injuries may require the development of techniques that differ substantially from current practice.