Posted on 04/12/2006 5:12:01 PM PDT by Coleus
Thank you. Like the patient in the article, I've had bone grafts, one from the hip and one from my ankle.
The tricky part that the article doesn't address is how much time can elapse between the injury and the stem cell implant. My nonunion is old and tests showed there's absolutely no healing at the site. I've tried a bone growth stimulator (which earned me the nickname of "Cyberfoot" for several months!) but it didn't work. One surgeon thought about trying again and using cadaver bone -- I vetoed that pretty quick. It was too iffy and I didn't like the risks.
The use of a calcium scaffold is a VERY intriguing idea! It beats metal pins and screws. I do wonder how well it would hold up over time and if more reinforcement would be needed in the metatarsals since they're so small compared to a femur or tibia.
Either way I'll be watching this with a lot of interest.
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