Advances in interbody graft replacements

Degeneration of the intervertebral disc has been suggested both as a normal physiological process as well as a disease process. Degenerative changes include loss of water content of the nucleus pulposus and anular tears leading to disc space narrowing and occasionally disc herniation. There is a wide variety of treatment options for patients that complain of the low back pain and/or leg pain that accompanies degenerative disc disease. Lumbar interbody fusion is one of the many surgical techniques that can be used to treat symptomatic disc disease after other non-operative treatments have been unsuccessful. The goal, as with any fusion attempt, is to stabilize the spine and allow bony growth between the vertebral bodies. The advantage afforded by interbody fusion as opposed to posterior intertransverse process or laminar fusions is the ability to address one of the major sources of pain, namely the disc. Until recently interbody fusions have been performed with structural bone graft acting as a space filler. Recent advances in interbody fusion devices are briefly discussed.