ABSTRACT
Approximately 500,000 bone-grafting procedures are performed annually in the United States, half of which are associated with spine fusion surgeries. Autogenous bone is the historical gold standard for providing the requisite osteoinductive, osteogenic, and osteoconductive elements for bone graft consolidation. The marrow component of autograft bone is a source of osteoinductive growth factors and osteogenic mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), a subset of cellular constituents capable of generating new bone. Mineralized bone tissue provides osteoconductive scaffolding and biomechanical integrity. Thus, a relatively high success rate has been achieved with the use of autograft for spinal arthrodesis, and fusion rates range from 60% to over 90%, depending on the surgical approach and the mechanical and biological environment available to the graft (1).
