• bone regeneration
• critical bone defects
• scaffolds
• surgical treatment
• tissue engineering
• traumatic pathologies

Surgical treatment of major traumatic pathologies, in which there are critical-size bone defects, includes transplantation of tissue from one site to another in the same patient ( autograft) or from one individual to another ( transplant or allograft). Problems exist with all these techniques.
The field of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine aims to regenerate damaged tissues, instead of replacing them, by developing biological substitutes, by restoring, by maintaining or improving tissue function.
As our first mundial review on PCL scaffolds in bone tissue, we have reported an experience in repairing that has confirmed its biocompatibility. No signs of local or systemic toxicity were detected in the site of implant and no foreign body reaction was found. Histological examination of samples confirmed the absence of necrosis, inflammation or fibrosis areas.
The radiological and histological evidence of newly formed bone tissue penetrating into the scaffold structure validates its osteoconductivity and osteoinductivity, confirming the possibility to use scaffolds as an alternative to standard bone grafts for the treatment of bone critical size defects.