A new study published in Spine compares spinal fusion with rhBMP-2 and without rhBMP2.
The researchers examined the Medline clinical studies database for studies published between 2000 and 2012 comparing fusion rates after anterior lumbar interbody fusion, posterior lumbar interbody/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion and posterolateral lumbar fusion with and without rhBMP-2. There were 16 studies reviewed and 1,794 patients included in the study.
There were 995 patients treated with rhBMP-2 and 799 without. The researchers found:
1. There were no significant improvements in fusion rates when rhBMP-2 was used compared with those that didn’t have rhBMP-2 at the longest follow up in these studies:
• Five of five studies for PLIF/TLIF — 301 patients
• One of four studies for ALIF — 279 of 589 patients
• Three of seven studies for PLF — 272 of 904 patients
