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Review
. 2022 May 1;14(5):e24655.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.24655. eCollection 2022 May.

History of Bone Grafts in Spine Surgery

Gilad A Hampel  1 , Emre Yilmaz  2 , Chrissie Massrey  3 , William Clifton  4 , Joe Iwanaga  5 , Marios Loukas  3 , R Shane Tubbs  5   6
Affiliations
Review

History of Bone Grafts in Spine Surgery

Gilad A Hampel et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Bone grafting replaces damaged or missing bone with new bone and is used for surgical arthrodesis. Patients benefit from a huge variety of bone graft techniques and options for spinal fusions. This article reviews the rich history of bone grafts in surgery with particular emphasis on spinal fusion. During the early years of bone grafting in spine surgery, bone grafts were used on tuberculosis patients, and the structural support of the graft was most the important consideration. Between 1960 and 2000, many advances were made, specifically in the use of bone graft substitutes. The field of bone grafts in spine surgery has evolved rapidly since first described.

Keywords: bone graft; bone graft substitutes; history; spinal fusion; spine; surgery.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. A drawing that shows insertion of bone graft into five thoracic spinous processes with soft tissue suturing
(After Albee, 1915)
Figure 2
Figure 2. Illustration showing the first spinal fusion operation performed
The illustration to the far right shows the use of the pieces from the lamina and the scrapings of the lateral articulations.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Stages of a spinal fusion with the cutting of the spinous processes and ligamentum flavum, excision of the posterior articular capsules, articular cartilage, and insertion of bone chips (left)
The same procedure in the lumbar spine is shown to the right. (After Dommisse, 1959)
Figure 4
Figure 4. Lateral view of the lumbosacral spine after interbody spinal fusion (arrow) using calvaria
(After Cloward, 1958)
Figure 5
Figure 5. The process of using cancellous bone from the posterior superior iliac spine for spinal fusion (left). The completed spinal fusion (right).
(After Dommisse, 1959)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Chirurgianellapreistoria. Parte I. Flati G, Di Stanislao C. Provincia Med Aquila. 2004;2:8–11.
    1. Hibbs osteoplastic operation for Pott's disease. Report of clinical observations with results in one hundred and fifty-eight cases, and interpretation of experimental studies in animals. Farrell B. JAMA. 1915;LXIV:398–400.
    1. The fundamental principles involved in the use of the bone graft in surgery. Albee F. Am J Med Sci. 1915;149:313–325.
    1. Il primo trapianto omoplastico di un arto secondo la leggenda dei santi Cosma e Damiano. Rinaldi E. G Ital Ortop Traumatol. 1987;13:405–417.

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