Bioabsorbable Barrier Membrane Combined with rhBMP-2 Improved Bone Formation in an Experimental Model of Compromised Healing But Was Not Superior to rhBMP-2 Alone

Copyright © 2014 Henrik Eckardt et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. In accor-dance of the Creative Commons Attribution License all Copyrights © 2014 are reserved for SCIRP and the owner of the intellectual property Henrik Eckardt et al. All Copyright © 2014 are guarded by law and by SCIRP as a guardian. Objective: Bioabsorbable barrier membranes placed over alveolar ridge bone defects are routinely used in den-tal surgery to promote bone formation. Combining these osteoconductive membranes with osteoinductive Bone Morphogenetic Proteins could prove useful in long bone fracture treatment. The hypothesis was tested in a clinically relevant model of compromised healing. Methods: Four groups of 8 rabbits underwent unilateral mid-tibial osteotomy, excision of periosteum and endosteum, and plate fixation. One group had rhBMP-2 depos-ited between the bone ends and Membrane wrapped around the osteotomy, the second group had Membrane wrapped around the osteotomy, the third group had rhBMP-2 placed between the bone ends, and the fourth group received no additional treatment. Results: After 7 weeks, callus size and blood flow were significantly higher in the Membrane+rhBMP-2 group than in the rhBMP-2 treated group, but torsion to failure test showed no significant difference. Membrane treatment and no treatment led to non-union. Conclusion: Absorbable bar