A study published in the February 2019 issue of the International Journal of Spine Surgery compares fusion rates between rhBMP-2 and mesenchymal stem cells for minimally invasive transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion.
The study authors examined patients who underwent surgery performed by a single surgery and compared the fusion rate between patients who had rhBMP-2 or cellularized bone matrix to promote fusion. The researchers included data from 78 patients in the retrospective review, with 39 who received rhBMP-2 and 39 who received CBM.
Four key points:
1. The CBM group reported a 68 percent fusion rate, compared to 78 percent in the rhBMP-2 group.
2. Hypertension was a predictor of radiographic non-union, and among the seven smokers spread between the two groups, one from each group reported pseudarthrosis.
3. Three patients in the CBM group required revision as a result of symptomatic pseudarthrosis, compared to one patient in the rhBMP-2 group.
4. The study authors concluded no significant differences in fusion rates or revision rates for patients in both groups.