Eases Spine Fusion Surgery
Nov. 7, 2001 -- New technology, using genetically engineered messengers, made spine fusion surgery less painful and more likely to succeed! Normally, these messengers exist in bone and other tissues and are called bone Morphogenetic proteins, or BMPs. But when BMPs are placed in the body, they attract stem cells, which then are able to turn into bone cells. Researchers wanted to find out if BMPs could help the body form new bones and avoid the need for painful hip-bone grafts that are currently needed for spine fusion surgery. Spine fusion surgery is used to treat people with severe back pain due to worn-out vertebrae (due to arthritis or injury) usually in the lower part of the spine.
Spinal fusion surgery has typically required removal of bone from the hip to be used as a graft to fuse the vertebrae together, which would relieve pressure on the spinal nerves. These bone grafts currently consist of bone taken from the hip in a separate operation, often causing long-term hip pain. Matthrw F. Gornet, and colleagues from the Missouri Bone and Spine Center, looked at whether BMP could be used in place of bone grafts at 16 different spinal centers. The 279 people in the study underwent the least traumatic form of spinal fusion surgery, and less pain, in which the surgeon operates on the back through a relatively small cut in the abdomen. Half the people got the BMP-loaded frame, and half got frames loaded with hip bone grafts. The people who received natural bone grafts did better than expected. About 89% of them had complete spinal fusion. But those getting the BMP material, called "InFUSE," did even better. About 95% had complete spinal fusion.
My feelings upon this surgery are simple, I think that this is a great way to have a spinal fusion surgery, less pain and less traumatizing. It's definitely better than having to have a HUGE gash in your back! I predict that the people who will be getting this surgery will end up having better lives because they would get rid of the pain.
Spinal fusion surgery has typically required removal of bone from the hip to be used as a graft to fuse the vertebrae together, which would relieve pressure on the spinal nerves. These bone grafts currently consist of bone taken from the hip in a separate operation, often causing long-term hip pain. Matthrw F. Gornet, and colleagues from the Missouri Bone and Spine Center, looked at whether BMP could be used in place of bone grafts at 16 different spinal centers. The 279 people in the study underwent the least traumatic form of spinal fusion surgery, and less pain, in which the surgeon operates on the back through a relatively small cut in the abdomen. Half the people got the BMP-loaded frame, and half got frames loaded with hip bone grafts. The people who received natural bone grafts did better than expected. About 89% of them had complete spinal fusion. But those getting the BMP material, called "InFUSE," did even better. About 95% had complete spinal fusion.
My feelings upon this surgery are simple, I think that this is a great way to have a spinal fusion surgery, less pain and less traumatizing. It's definitely better than having to have a HUGE gash in your back! I predict that the people who will be getting this surgery will end up having better lives because they would get rid of the pain.
