Graft incorporation after acetabular and femoral impaction grafting with washed irradiated allograft and autologous marrow.

Rates of around 40% incorporation have been described when chips of irradiated cancellous allograft with retained fat were impacted with the Exeter technique. We report the results of acetabular and femoral impaction bone grafting during revision hip arthroplasty using washed irradiated allograft with autologous marrow. Eighty-five consecutive patients underwent acetabular and or femoral revision arthroplasty. Evidence of graft cortication and trabeculation was recorded on successive postoperative radiographs, over a mean period of 44 months. Ninety-six percent (49/51) and 90% (53/59) of patients showed incorporation in acetabular and femoral grafts, respectively. This was usually apparent by 6 months postoperatively. We conclude that the addition of autologous marrow to irradiated bone allograft during impaction grafting is a cheap and highly effective way of achieving graft incorporation.