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Comparing Spine Fusion with and without Growth Factors

You've heard of the search for the Holy Grail? Well, it doesn't hold a candle to doctors' search for better ways to fuse the spine. The newest player in bone fusion is autologous growth factor (AGF).

AGF is taken from the patient's blood and mixed with bone taken from the patient's hip. Growth factors in AGF cause bone cells to make more bone cells. The mixture of AGF and bone graft is then placed in and around the spinal joints.

This is the first study to try this method on humans. Up until now animals have been used. One orthopedic surgeon divided his patients into two groups. The first group had one spinal level fused using just their own donated bone. The second group had one spinal level fused using self-donated bone mixed with AGF. Both groups had the same diagnosis of spine or disc degeneration.

The results were no better than in animal studies. The group with just bone graft to fuse the spine had a solid fusion 91 percent of the time. The group with the growth factor had a fusion rate of 62 percent. The results were not sufficient enough for these researchers to recommend the use of AGF in spinal fusions--at least not without more study.

The authors tried to explain their results. It may be that AGF combines with a bone protein called bone morphogenic protein (BMP).When put together, these decrease bone formation. The authors think what they used may be too concentrated and doesn’t mimic natural amounts of AGF.

Other ways to get and use AGF must be studied. The goal is to find a safe an inexpensive way to fuse the spine quickly without side effects or problems.

References: Bradley K. Weiner, MD, and Matthew Walker, MD. Efficacy of Autologous Growth Factors in Lumbar Intertransverse Fusions. In Spine. September 1, 2003. Vol. 28. No. 17. Pp. 1968-1971.

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