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Our experience with the bone banking methodology that we have used over the last years is reported. The technical and investigational aspects of the procurement, storage and treatment of the donor bone and related tissues are presented. For different purposes, we have prepared sterile and nonsterile procured implants. Appropriate donor selection and sterility controls remain the two major concerns of bone banking activities.

The authors report a case of early and marked osteoporotic syndrome in a patient affected with adenosine-deaminase deficiency (ADA) of the heterozygotic type. The negative results obtained in all the tests carried out to ascertain any dysmetabolic, nutritional or iatrogenic disease, and the literature reporting homozygotic patients with osteometabolic and skeletal changes similar to those observed in this particular patient, led the authors to suggest a possible pathogenetic role in ADA deficiency. They conclude by describing the mechanisms by which this enzymatic defect could determine the clinical picture, and by presenting a possible type of treatment.

The authors present their experience with freeze-dried bone of human origin. Since 1983, 500 preserved allografts have been implanted in 228 patients. The implants were monitored radiographically and, based on perfect fusion with the recipient bone, the results were as follows: excellent: 78%; good: 8.6%; failure: 12.4%. In nearly all the cases of failure this was attributed to an erronous implant method or an improper use of the graft. Bank bone is only osteoconductive: thus, in the absence of osteogenetic properties, a perfect method of implant and its correct use are essential.