My left thumb was reconstructed with coral fragments about 27 years ago. The bone exploded due to the growth of a benign cyst. 6 weeks in a cast to stabilize,

My left thumb was reconstructed with coral fragments about 27 years ago. The bone exploded due to the growth of a benign cyst. 6 weeks in a cast to stabilize, then surgery to scoop out the cyst and replace the material. Then 6 more weeks in a cast. When discussing replacement materials, my doctor offered cadaver graft or self transplant (surgically removing bone from my wrist or hip to build a graft). I was deep into Steve Haworth at the time, who was experimenting with implant materials including coral, so I asked about coral. Without missing a beat, the doctor said they could definitely do that. I asked if it was expensive, and he said no. I asked if it had a high rate of rejection, and he said it was comparable to self transplant. Why was it not the first suggestion? Why did he not even mention it in the first place? Sadly, I forgot to ask these questions. Tl;dr I had a coral graft, and it worked great.