Dolph Houben

104 CHAPTER 5 Transplant viability We quantified osteocytes, osteoblasts, empty lacunae on the endosteal and periosteal surface of the transplant and calculated the percentage of empty lacunae as described in our methods. These parameters are important indicators for transplant viability. Calculations showed bone viability was better maintained with a patent AV-bundle, demonstrated by a significantly lower number of empty lacunae (p=0.04) on the endosteal surface of the bone (Table 3). No statistically significant differences were found between the two intervention groups in the number of osteocytes or osteoblasts. However, we did observe an increase in osteoblasts filling the endosteal surface of allotransplants in the patent AV-bundle group (Fig. 3B). No statistically significant differences were found on the periosteal surface of the bone. Table 3: Histologic quantification of endosteal allotransplant viability Contralateral (n=12) Group I (AV+) (n=6) Group II (AV-) (n=6) p-value cl-I p-value cl-II p-value I-II N.Ob /B.pm (/mm 2 ) 10.68 (7.58-16.19) 19.67 (15.21-22.50) 13.62 (7.43-28.09) 0.005* 0.56 0.52 Occupied Lacunae (%) 83.98 (81.61-88.63) 88.24 (84.98-90.03) 78.35 (70-35-86.90) 0.15 0.22 0.04* Osteocytes (N.Ot), Osteoblasts (N.Ob), Empty lacunae (N.Lac), Bone parameter (B.pm ) Values are given in median and interquartile range, * significant Figure 3: Representative histologic SRBS-images of the endosteal surface of the allografts with respect to the AV-bundle patency at 20X magnification. (A+C) allotransplant showing good osteocyte viability and osteoblast lining in the patent AV- bundle group, (B+D) Allotransplant with visible empty lacunae (white arrows) and a reduced amount of bone surface filled with osteoblasts in the control group (group 2).