Bone banking. In support of reconstructive surgery of the hip.

Bone banks are now available at local and regional levels that can supply tissues acquired from cadaveric and live donor sources. With appropriate donor selection criteria and banking techniques, these tissues are both safe and efficacious. Understanding the nature of the banking process, particularly the influence of various preservation techniques on biology and biomechanics, as well as knowledge of the incorporation process should lead to selection and an appropriate application of these tissues in reconstructive surgery about the hip. The availability of these allografts has extended our ability to devise salvage procedures and increasingly innovative approaches to numerous reconstructive challenges.