Home
Resources
Publications
Bone Wax in Neurosurgery: A Review

Bone Wax in Neurosurgery: A Review

Joe M Das

World Neurosurg. 2018 Aug;116:72-76.

PMID: 29753076

Abstract:

It has been 125 years since the so-called initial use of bone wax (BW) by Sir Victor Horsley, and a review of this age-old hemostatic agent seems appropriate. The first use of BW for hemostasis occurred in the eighteenth century, when modeling or candle wax was used for hemostasis. Although the pioneers in the use of BW in craniofacial surgeries were Jean Louis Belloq, Khristian Khristianovich Salomon, and François Magendie, the first successful use in neurosurgery was demonstrated by Henri Ferdinand Dolbeau in 1864 after extirpation of a frontal osteoma. This technique was further popularized by Sir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley, the father of British neurosurgery, who is often incorrectly mentioned as the inventor of BW. Originally derived from beeswax, the currently available commercial preparation also contains paraffin wax and isopropyl palmitate. The main action being mechanical tamponade, BW has found several other uses in neurosurgery, other than being a hemostatic agent. Although it is cost-effective, the use of BW is associated with several complications also, including ineffective bone healing and infection. Several alternatives are being developed, but none are yet a full replacement for "Horsley's wax."

Chemicals Related in the Paper:

Catalog Number	Product Name	Structure	CAS Number	Price
AP142916-1-A	Isopropyl palmitate		142-91-6	Price

As a specialist in analytical chemical Products, Alfa Chemistry offers consumers a wealth of raw materials and a full range of technologies and services.

QUICK LINKS

HEADQUARTERS

Tel:

Fax:

Email: