Immediate insertion of two types of implants into vascularized bone grafts used for mandibular reconstruction in miniature pigs.

Reaction of bone tissue was investigated after placement of two different types of implants in vascularized iliac bone grafting. After the mandibles of six Göttingen minipigs were reconstructed with vascularized bone of the iliac crest, hydroxyapatite-coated implants and titanium screw implants were placed in the graft. The animals were killed at 14, 28, and 56 days after the implantation, and the healing processes were examined histologically. In the vascularized bone graft, new bone formed well around the implants, but some of the implant surfaces were covered with soft tissue by advancing bone resorption. The results suggest that a hydroxyapatite-coated implant as well as a titanium screw-type implant might be applied with a vascularized bone graft for jaw reconstruction. However, implants placed simultaneously with the vascularized bone graft had less osteointegration than implants placed in nongrafted control sites.