Kekilli E.Ya?mur C.Ertem K.Türk Bilen B.2024-08-042024-08-0420051300-0292https://hdl.handle.net/11616/91104Bone grafts find application in multiple settings: joint fusion and reconstruction, bone infection and resection, prothesis complications, congenital malformation and cosmetic adjustments, cranio-maxillofacial reconstruction, as well as the treatment of various trauma injuries such as fractures resulting in delayed unions and non-unions. Bone grafts have often played the roles of scaffolds, bridges, spacers, defect fillers, and bone-loss replacements. There is a growing trend in bone graft usage today. The use of autolog bone grafts is widespread in Turkey. Nuclear medicine has proven to be a helpful adjunct in the determination of graft viability. In particular, the status of vascular anastomoses can be shown on bone scintigraphy short periods after cortical and pedicle bone grafts. With added knowledge of individual pathophysiology, the interpretation of scintigraphic results is greatly facilitated. Non-vascularized bone grafts improve with revascularisation and remineralisation. In cancellous autografts, the vascular response is much greater than in cortical grafts. The entire cancellous bed may be completely revascularized within approximately 1 to 2 weeks. Healing of vascularized bone grafts and pedicles is similar to the process manifested in fractures. Allograft bone simply provides calcium scaffolding and does not possess bone-growing cells or proteins. Previous studies utilizing bone scintigraphy have shown that allograft healing proceeds not unlike that of autografts, with the exception that revascularisation and remineralisation are delayed. The authors review the current literature on bone grafting procedures and discuss the possible applications of nuclear medicine in this setting. Copyright © 2005 by Türkiye Klinikleri.trinfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessBone transplantationNuclear medicineRadionuclide imagingReview Article2522612792-s2.0-18044392750Q4