A study recently published in The Spine Journal compared the neurologic deficits among patients undergoing lateral lumbar interbody fusion with and without recombinant bone morphogenetic progtein-2.
The researchers examined patients who underwent LLIF over a six-year period, including 72 patients who received rhBMP-2 and 72 who received autograft or allograft. Sensory deficit among both groups immediately after surgery was relatively similar — 33 rhBMP-2 patients and 35 allograft/autograft patients.
However, at the last follow-up 29 patients from the rhBMP-2 group had persistent sensory deficit, compared to 20 patients in the non-rhBMP-2 group. Motor deficit immediately after surgery and at the last follow up was higher for the rhBMP-2 group — 27 patients versus 28 patients immediately after surgery and 35 patients versus 17 patients at the last follow-up.
Additionally, more patients in the rhBMP-2 group complained of anterior thigh or groin pain during the first postoperative examination and last follow up than the allograft/autograft group.
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