Comparison of rabbit rib defect regeneration with and without graft

Rib segment, as one of the most widely used autologous boneresources for bone repair, is commonly isolated with an empty left in the defect. Although defective rib repair is thought to be unnecessary traditionally, it’s of vital importance actually to promote rib regeneration for patients with better postoperative recovery and higher life quality. Comparative investigations on rabbit rib bone regeneration with and without graft were reported in this article. A segmental defect was performed on the 8th rib of 4-month-old male New Zealand rabbits. The mineralized collagen bone graft (MC) was implanted into the defect and evaluated for up to 12 weeks. The rib bone repair was investigated by using X-ray at 4, 8 and 12 weeks and histological examinations at 12 weeks after surgery, which showed a higher bone remodeling activity in the groups with MC implantation in comparison with blank control group, especially at the early stage of remodeling.