Local bone graft harvesting and volumes in posterolateral lumbar fusion: a technical report

Background contextIn lumbar surgery, local bone graft is often harvested and used in posterolateral fusion procedures. The volume of local bone graft available for posterolateral fusion has not been determined in North American patients. Some authors have described this as minimal, but others have suggested the volume was sufficient to be reliably used as a stand-alone bone graft substitute for single-level fusion.PurposeTo describe the technique used and determine the volume of local bone graft available in a cohort of patients undergoing single-level primary posterolateral fusion by the authors harvesting technique.Study designTechnical description and cohort report.Patient sampleConsecutive patients undergoing lumbar posterolateral fusion with or without instrumentation for degenerative processes.Outcome measureLocal bone graft volume.MethodsConsecutive patients undergoing lumbar posterolateral fusion with or without instrumentation for degenerative processes of were studied. Local bone graft was harvested by a standard method in each patient and the volume measured by a standard procedure.ResultsTwenty-five patients were studied, and of these 11 (44%) had a previous decompression. The mean volume of local bone graft harvested was measured to be 25 cc (range, 12–36 cc). Local bone graft was augmented by iliac crest bone in six of 25 patients (24%) if the posterolateral fusion bed was not well packed with local bone alone. There was a trend to greater local bone graft volumes in men and in patients without previous decompression.ConclusionLarge volumes of local bone can be harvested during posterolateral lumbar fusion surgery. Even in patients with previous decompression the volume harvested is similar to that reported harvested from the posterior iliac crest for single-level fusion.