Availability of graft materials to fill up osseous defects has always been a concern in orthopaedic surgeries. Deer antler material is a primary bone structure that is easy to collect and could serve as a xenograft. This study examines the behaviour of red deer antler trabecular cylinders in critical size distal femoral epiphyseal defects in 11 rabbits, and evaluates the effect of the decellularization protocols.

Two preparation regimes (A and B) were used, with and without lipids and proteins. Radiographs were taken immediately after surgery and after euthanasia 12 weeks post-implantation. Histological evaluation was performed on non-decalcified 10-μm sections with a van Gieson picro-fuchsin staining protocol. A region of interest was defined for each histological section, evaluating the inflammatory reaction, the fibrosis process, and the osteogenesis. Each histological section was microradiographed to evaluate bone contact, presence of synostosis, remodelling and ossification processes.

All antler cylinders were successfully implanted. Final radiographic analysis demonstrated osteointegration of most implants at various stages. Light to moderate inflammation around the grafts was noted with only one case showing full encapsulation. A variable degree of intimacy between implant and host bone was evidenced, with bone remodelling and osteogenesis of various intensity being present in all implanted sites. No differences were found between group A and B.

Removal of lipids and proteins in the grafts surprisingly did not seem to matter. Decellularization and sterilization protocols may be advocated. Although it presents several limitations, this study shows some promising results regarding antler trabecular bone osteointegration.

填充骨缺损的移植材料的可用性一直是骨科手术中的一个问题。鹿茸材料是一种主要的骨骼结构，易于收集并可用作异种移植物。本研究检查了 11 只兔子在临界尺寸的股骨远端骨骺缺损中马鹿鹿茸小梁圆柱体的行为，并评估了脱细胞方案的效果。

使用了两种制备方案（A 和 B），有和没有脂质和蛋白质。在手术后和植入后 12 周安乐死后立即拍摄 X 光片。使用 van Gieson picro-fuchsin 染色方案对未脱钙的 10-μm 切片进行组织学评估。为每个组织切片定义一个感兴趣的区域，评估炎症反应、纤维化过程和成骨过程。对每个组织切片进行显微放射照相以评估骨接触、接合的存在、重塑和骨化过程。

所有鹿角圆柱体均成功植入。最终的放射学分析表明，大多数植入物在不同阶段都有骨整合。注意到移植物周围有轻度至中度炎症，只有一个病例显示完全包裹。植入物和宿主骨之间存在不同程度的亲密关系，所有植入部位都存在不同强度的骨重塑和成骨。A组和B组之间没有发现差异。

令人惊讶的是，去除移植物中的脂质和蛋白质似乎并不重要。可以提倡脱细胞和灭菌方案。虽然它存在一些局限性，但这项研究显示了一些关于鹿角骨小梁骨整合的有希望的结果。