A Novel Combined Surgical Approach to Vertical Alveolar Ridge Augmentation with Titanium Mesh, Resorbable Membrane, and rhPDGF-BB: A Retrospective Consecutive Case Series

The purpose of this case series was to report the clinical outcomes and histologic findings of vertical ridge augmentation using a combination of titanium mesh, resorbable collagen membrane, and recombinant human plateletderived growth factor BB (rhPDGF-BB). Nineteen patients were included, and autogenous bone and anorganic bovine bone particles were used. The bone graft was mixed with rhPDGF-BB and loaded onto the bony defect up to the level of the adjacent alveolar crest. A pre-adapted titanium mesh was placed over the grafted region and covered with a resorbable collagen membrane, leaving no areas of the grafted region exposed. Seventeen patients exhibited good soft tissue healing. Postoperative flap dehiscence occurred relatively early in the healing period in one patient, whereas the covering collagen membrane was exposed during the later phase of the healing period in another. During reentry surgery for removal of the titanium mesh, three patients with favorable soft and hard tissue healing underwent bone biopsies for histologic evaluation of the augmented tissue just below the titanium mesh. The mean vertical height of augmented bone was 8.6 +/- 4.0 mm. This report demonstrates the remarkable efficacy of guided bone regeneration using a combination of titanium mesh, resorbable collagen membrane, and rhPDGF for vertical ridge augmentation, thus expanding the indications for implant therapy and allowing recovery of the three-dimensional esthetic architecture in a severely absorbed alveolar ridge.