Efficacy of cortico/cancellous composite allograft in treatment of cervical spondylosis

Abstract

This was a prospective comparative study. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical and radiologic outcomes of patients treated with cortico/cancellous composite allograft or autoiliac bone graft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion. Several methods have been developed to fuse the cervical spine for treatment of cervical spondylosis. Cortico/cancellous composite allograft might be another alternative. A total of 46 patients who underwent surgery for treatment of cervical spondylosis were evaluated between September 2010 and January 2015. The duration of operation, blood loss, perioperative complications, neck disability index (NDI), visual analogue scale (VAS), and fusion rates were compared between the 2 groups. There were no significant differences in clinical or radiologic outcomes between the patients treated with cortico/cancellous composite allograft and those treated with autoiliac bone graft. The 2 groups showed similar improvements in clinical symptoms and fusion rates. Although not statistically significant, the subsidence rate was lower in the cortico/cancellous composite group. Cortico/cancellous composite allograft is an effective alternative to conventional allograft or autograft in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.