The shortcomings of autografts and allografts in bone defect healing have prompted researchers to develop suitable alternatives. Numerous biomaterials have been developed as bone graft substitutes each with their own advantages and disadvantages. However, in order to test if these biomaterials provide an adequate replacement of the clinical standard, a clinically representative animal model is needed to test their efficacy. In this chapter, we describe a mouse model that establishes a critical sized defect in the mid-diaphysis of the femur to evaluate the performance of bone graft substitutes. This is achieved by performing a femoral ostectomy and stabilization utilizing a femoral plate and titanium screws. The resulting defect enables the bone regenerative potential of bone graft substitutes to be investigated. Lastly, we provide instruction on assessing the torsional strength of the healed femurs to quantitatively evaluate the degree of healing as a primary outcome measure.
Keywords: Biomechanics; Bone; Bone graft substitute; Critical sized defect; Healing; Mouse model; Scaffold; Torsional testing.