Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering Commons^™

Experimental Spinal Fusion With Recombinant Human Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 Without Decortication Of Osseous Elements, Harvinder Sandhu, Linda E.A. Kanim, Jeffrey M. Toth, J. Michael Kabo, David Liu, Rick B. Delamarter, Edgar G. Dawson

Biomedical Engineering Faculty Research and Publications

Study Design. L4-L5 intertransverse process fusions were produced with 58 μg, 230 μg, or 920 μg of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 in 20 dogs. Eleven had traditional decortication of posterior elements before insertion of the implant. Nine were left undecorticated. All animals were evaluated 3 months after surgery.

Objectives. To determine whether decortication is a prerequisite for successful fusion in the presence of osteoinductive proteins such as bone morphogenetic protein-2.

Summary of Background Data. Recombinant osteoinductive proteins can induce de novo bone in ectopic soft-tissue sites in the absence of bone marrow elements. Traditional methods for achieving spinal fusion …