Femoral head allograft bone banking.

Prior to 1986, there was no uniform protocol for the collection, storage and safe transfer of allograft bone in South Australia. A programme was instituted that resulted in the collection of 100 femoral heads, of which 46 heads were used for a variety of orthopaedic procedures in 31 patients. Wastage was high with 46 femoral heads being discarded because of infection or failure to adhere to all aspects of the protocol. The donor population was found to be a safe source of bone with no cases of unsuspected hepatitis, syphilis, human immunodeficiency virus, or malignancy being detected. There was no infection in recipients. By observing strict criteria for the acceptance of donor bone and aided by a diligent clerical service, this type of allograft can provide a way of dealing with extensive bone deficiency in a number of surgical settings.