The Use of a Trephine Biopsy Needle to Obtain Autogenous Corticocancellous Bone from the Iliac Crest: Technical Note

In the absence of adequate bone height, augmentation of the maxillary antrum prior to placement of endosseous implants is a well-established procedure. Although there is a debate among clinicians as to which grafting materials are the most advantageous, autogenous bone is still considered by many to be the gold standard. Often patients require more graft material than is generally available from intraoral sites. This has led clinicians to utilize allografts, xenografts, or a combination of autologous and synthetic bone. Extraoral sites can provide a greater volume of autogenous bone than intraoral sites. However, harvesting extraoral donor bone is frequently associated with adverse consequences in excess of the primary objective (ie, the placement of endosseous implants in the posterior maxilla with minimal morbidity). A method for obtaining a significant volume of corticocancellous autogenous bone for augmentation of the maxillary antrum is described. The technique is efficacious and cost effective and results in minimal morbidity.