Freeze-dried bone allografts from donors of known tissue type evoked
donor-specific anti-HLA antibodies in nine of forty-three patients
(forty-four procedures). Eight of the nine sensitized patients were
followed roentgenographically for an average of twenty-three months and
were known to have had a satisfactory resolution of the benign process for
which the graft was employed. The ninth patient was doing well when lost to
follow-up four months after receiving a bone allograft. Clinical Relevance:
The questions of whether immune responses to bone allografts occur in
humans and, if so, adversely influence the incorporation of the graft can
be answered at this time only by demonstrating the presence and frequency
of such responses and how they correlate with clinical events. A large
variety of techniques can be used to demonstrate immune responses. The
technique that we used revealed that a small group of patients became
sensitized to HLA antigens that were known to be present in the allograft
donor but none of the recipients had evidence of adverse effects caused by
the graft, as judged non-invasively.