Fracture of the anterior iliac crest following autogenous bone grafting

Anterior iliac crest is the most common donor site for anterior cervical spine surgeries. We searched the literature to summarize the reported fractures of the anterior iliac crest following bone graft harvesting for anterior cervical fusion and documented our experience with such complication. In this account, we report 3 new patients with this rare complication of fracture of the anterior iliac crest following bone graft for anterior cervical fusion. The dual energy x-ray absorptiometry scan was performed in all our patients to assess bone mineral density and all patients had osteoporosis. Non-operative treatment was the method of treatment in our patients. A better understanding of surgical technique and complications of iliac crest bone grafting is important to minimize graft site morbidity, and even more important is identification of risk factors that are involved in fracture of the iliac crest.