Physical and monetary costs associated with autogenous bone graft harvesting

Although autogenous iliac bone is frequently used for bone graft, many well-documented complications are associated with this procedure-including chronic pain; nerve, arterial, and ureteral injury; herniation of abdominal contents; sacroiliac joint instability; pelvic fractures; hematoma; and infection. An understanding of the morbidities associated with bone graft harvesting and of the strategies for avoiding them is imperative for surgeons using this grafting source. In addition, although synthetic grafting materials are considered relatively expensive compared with autogenous sources, the majority of physicians are unaware of the actual direct and indirect costs associated with autogenous bone graft harvesting. Contemporary allograft and synthetic grafting composites are being developed to optimize and surpass the native qualities of autogenous sources (ie, osteogenesis, osteoinductivity, osteoconductivity). Careful comparison of the cost of these alternative sources with the physical and monetary costs of autogenous bone graft will undoubtedly make allograft, recombinant, synthetic graft composites the logical choice in the very near future.