Comparative Efficacy of Commonly Available Human Bone Graft Substitutes as Tested for Posterolateral Fusion in an Athymic Rat Model.

Background: Insufficient data exist on bone graft substitute materials efficacy; two thirds lack any clinical data.1,2 This prospective animal study identified efficacy differences among commercially available materials of several classes.

Methods: Historically validated muscle pouch osteoinduction study (OIS) and posterolateral fusion (PLF) were performed in an athymic rat model.

The impact of type 2 diabetes on bone metabolism and growth after spinal fusion.

Background Context: Some clinical reports suggest diabetes may have a negative effect on spinal fusion outcomes, although no conclusive experimental research has been conducted to investigate the causality, impact, and inherent risks of this growing patient population.

Purpose: To analyze the hypothesis that type 2 diabetes (T2DM) inhibits the formation of a solid bony union after spinal fusion surgery by altering the local microenvironment at the fusion site through a reduction in growth factors critical for bone formation.

Study Design/setting: In vivo rodent model of type 2 diabetes.

Effect of modulating dietary vitamin D on the general bone health of rats during posterolateral spinal fusion.

Vitamin D plays a significant role in musculoskeletal health by regulating calcium, phosphate, and promoting new bone mineralization. The purpose of this study was to understand the effect of dietary vitamin D on general bone health during peri-operative bone healing via an in vivo dosing study of vitamin D in a rat posterolateral fusion model using autograft. Vitamin D Deficient (DD), vitamin D Insufficient (ID), Control vitamin D (CD), and Hyper-vitamin D (HD) groups were studied.

Image-guided resection of aggressive sacral tumors.

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to identify and discuss operative nuances utilizing image guidance in the surgical management of aggressive sacral tumors. METHODS The authors report on their single-institution, multi-surgeon, retrospective case series involving patients with pathology-proven aggressive sacral tumors treated between 2009 and 2016. They also reviewed the literature to identify articles related to aggressive sacral tumors, their diagnosis, and their surgical treatment and discuss the results together with their own experience.