Iliac Crest Bone Graft versus Local Autograft or Allograft for Lumbar Spinal Fusion: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Study Design Systematic review.Objective To compare the effectiveness and safety between iliac crest bone graft (ICBG) and local autologous bone and allograft in the lumbar spine.Methods A systematic search of multiple major medical reference databases identified studies evaluating spinal fusion in patients with degenerative joint disease using ICBG, local autograft, or allograft in the thoracolumbar spine.Results Six comparative studies met our inclusion criteria. A “low” strength of the overall body of evidence suggested no difference in fusion percentages in the lumbar spine between local autograft and ICBG. We found no difference in fusion percentages based on low evidence comparing allograft with ICBG autograft. There were no differences in pain or functional results comparing local autograft or allograft with ICBG autograft. Donor site pain and hematoma/seroma occurred more frequently in ICBG autograft group for lumbar fusion procedures. There was low evidence around the estimate of patients with donor site pain following ICBG harvesting, ranging from 16.7 to 20%. With respect to revision, low evidence demonstrated no difference between allograft and ICBG autograft. There was no evidence comparing patients receiving allograft with local autograft for fusion, pain, functional, and safety outcomes.Conclusion In the lumbar spine, ICBG, local autograft, and allograft have similar effectiveness in terms of fusion rates, pain scores, and functional outcomes. However, ICBG is associated with an increased risk for donor site-related complications. Significant limitations exist in the available literature when comparing ICBG, local autograft, and allograft for lumbar fusion, and thus ICBG versus other fusion methods necessitates further investigation.

Lumbar Herniation of Kidney following Iliac Crest Bone Harvest

“…This could be comparable to known risk factors for patient demographics, which are more consistently reported [2]. With better surgeon procedure documentation and future research, either the common technique for iliac crest bone harvest procedures will be refined or the value of autografting will be reevaluated to establish if the benefit is truly worth the risks [9]. …”

Low-melt bioactive glass-reinforced 3D printing akermanite porous cages with highly improved mechanical properties for lumbar spinal fusion

“…In the current clinical practice and new strategy exploration, most of the spinal fusion cages require the autograft to promote the spinal fusion. However, this procedure was generally associated with the donor‐site complications (Tuchman et al, ). Interested in studying alternative methods of accomplishing the same fusion, we intended to investigate the potential use of highly bioactive AKE‐based cages alone for the spinal fusion without the additional transplantation of Auto‐B grafts.…”

Impact of Iliac Crest Bone Grafting on Postoperative Outcomes and Complication Rates Following Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion

“…9,[12][13][14][15] Previous studies have investigated differences in outcomes between patients undergoing lumbar fusion with ICBG and lumbar fusion with graft alternatives. [16][17][18] However, there is a paucity of literature in regard to differences in outcomes based on graft adjunct in the minimally invasive spine population. As such, the purpose of this study is to evaluate postoperative outcomes for patients undergoing MIS TLIF with ICBG or BMP-2.…”