BMP - An alternative to bone gafting for Spinal Fusion

Michael Longley, M.D
orthopaedic surgeon
with the Alegent Health Orthopaedic Instiute

Spinal fusion surgery is a common treatment for spinal disorders such as spondylolisthesis, scoliosis, severe disc degeneration or spinal fractures.

The surgery consists of joining or fusing one or more vertebrae to reduce pain and stabilize the spine. During the surgery, bone chips from patient's pelvic bone are transplanted, or grafted, to the spinal vertebra to help fuse them together.

"Previously, surgeons used either titanium or bone implants to hold the spine in place, and then we would take some bone graft from the patient's pelvis and put that in the implant to stimulate the bones to heal to each other," Dr. Michael Longley, a orthopaedic surgeon with the Alegent Health Ortopaedic Institute says.

However, harvesting bone in order to perform the graft extends surgical time and can increase the risks of blood loss and infection, as well as lengthening the time a patient has to stay in the hospital. Also, grafing is often done in combination with screws, cages or dowels.

But now there is a new technology available for spinal fusion involving BMP, (Bone Morphogenetic Protein), a hormone that takes the place of a bone graft. This breakthrough technology is quickly gaining wide acceptance as the best option available for fusion surgery.

"BMP turns on the bone healing process," says Dr.Longley, who performs over 150 operations a year using RHBMP2.

BMP was discovered in the 1960s, and in the 1980s, the proteins were individually identified and reproduced. It was used for the first time in 997 in a clinical trial of patients undergoing spinal fusion, with 10 of the 11 patients having successful fusion within 3 months of surgery.

BMP is useful in a variety of spinal surgeries, creating less invasive surgical techniques, shortening recovery time and relieving pain of millons of back pain sufferers.