A study published in Spine examines incidence of resorption after anterior lumbar interbody fusion.
Researchers retrospectively examined 60 patients undergoing ALIF using femoral ring allograft—augmented rhBMP-2 supplemented with posterior instrumentation over a five year period. The researchers found no significant difference between patients who reported the presence of or absence of early graft resorption in visual analogue scale reports.
However, there were higher fusion rates among patients with resorption at six months. The research reported 40 percent incidence of early resorption. "Resorption should be considered part of the fusion process and not necessarily a complication," the article's authors concluded.
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