New bone formation in autologous membranous bone transplanted into the anterior abdominal wall.

During a gross anatomy dissection, a piece of the calvarial bone was found between aponeuroses of the anterior abdominal wall in an 82-year-old male cadaver. It corresponded closely in size to the calvarial defect after the neurosurgery performed 5 years before death, showing that very little resorption had occurred over the years. Moreover, 13 percent of the transplant was new bone, indicating that membranous bone can, in the long term, induce new bone formation in humans.