One hundred and forty-four solitary bone cysts were treated by curettage
and packing with freeze-dried crushed cortical-bone allograft. One hundred
and eight healed primarily. There was a higher rate of recurrence in young
patients (less than ten years old), in active cysts, in females, and in
incompletely packed cysts. However, of the cysts that were completely
packed, 88 per cent healed. These data show that freeze-dried allogeneic
crushed cortical bone is superior to similiarly processed cancellous bone
and gives results similar to those achieved with fresh autogenous
cancellous bone. Orthopaedic surgeons should therefore consider the use of
freeze-dried allogeneic crushed cortical bone instead of autogenous grafts
to avoid the morbidity and increased risk of complications associated with
the procedure to obtain the autogenous bone.