A new study published in The Spine Journal examines fusion rate for standalone anterior lumbar interbody fusions.
The authors reviewed 840 unique publications across 55 studies that included around 5,517 patients and 6,303 fused levels. The studies examined standalone ALIF and were published on or before July 19, 2018. Study authors found:
1. Overall fusion rate was 88.2 percent.
2. The weighted average fusion rate was 88.6 percent across studies that included at least 50 patients.
3. When patients had anterior fixation plates included in their surgeries, fusion rates jumped to 94.2 percent.
4. Patients that underwent ALIF with newer zero-profile interbody implants, the fusion rate was 89.2 percent.
5. When at least half of the patients were smokers or receiving workers compensation, the fusion rates were lower.
6. Among the eight rhBMP-2 study groups, the fusion rate was 94.4 percent, compared to 84.8 percent in groups without rhBMP-2.