Researchers conducted a systematic review of articles involving complications after spine surgery when patients received bone morphogenic protein to examine associated complications and published their findings in Spine.
The review included 29 articles with seven reporting on complications in anterior cervical fusions and three with posterior cervical fusions. There were four examining anterior lumbar interbody fusions, six with posterior/transforaminal lumbar interbody fusions and six with posterolateral lumbar fusions.
The findings include complication ranges:
• 0.66 percent to 20.1 percent in ACF
• 3.5 percent to 14.6 percent in PCF
• 2 percent to 7.3 percent in ALIF
• 1.5 percent to 21.8 percent in PLIF/TLIF
• 1.4 percent to 8.2 percent in PLF
The researchers also found that pseudarthrosis rates were lower with the use of BMP for all procedures except PLIF/TLIF, according to the report, and the only individual complication statistically significantly greater with BMP utilization was retrograde ejaculation in ALIF.
In their conclusion, the researchers write "despite the increased awareness of complications associated with BMP, complication rates remain spine site specific and low," and they recommend performing thorough patient education before using BMP.
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