Editorial Comment

Abstract

The following articles are a partial representation of subjects discussed at the Charles H. Herndon, MD International Symposium on Bone and Soft Tissue Allografts sponsored by the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation that was held in Washington, DC, April 30 to May 2, 1999. It is the guest editors' pleasure to dedicate the symposium and this work to the memory of Charles H. Herndon, MD, an outstanding orthopaedic surgeon and leader. The symposium is divided into two components that cover issues of adult reconstruction and issues of spine and trauma. Each component starts with a review of relevant basic science followed by descriptions and commentary on specific clinical applications. Within the adult reconstruction component, structural and particulate bone grafts are discussed. Within the spine and trauma component, mineralized and demineralized bone grafts are discussed. Bone allografts have become routine in certain clinical applications and, in many ways, the work presented at this symposium shows that current questions are about which graft and surgical procedure to use, rather than whether to use an allograft. Allografts have been proven to be reliable and safe components in the surgical treatment of many orthopaedic problems. Although there certainly are exciting new technologies, such as recombinant protein or gene therapy, it is the editors' belief that these new technologies most likely will be adjuncts and enhancers of allografts for the foreseeable future, rather than replacements for them. Sharon Stevenson, DVM, PhD La Jolla, CA Allan E. Gross, MD Ontario, Canada