Iliac crest reconstruction to reduce donor-site morbidity: technical note

The design of the study includes case series, technical note and review of the literature. Autogenous bone graft (autograft) harvest from the iliac crest remains the gold standard substrate for spinal fusion. Persistent donor-site pain is the most common cause of morbidity after autograft harvest, occurring in one-third of patients. Numerous techniques for reducing donor-site morbidity have been reported in the literature, including infusion of analgesics and post-harvest reconstruction of the iliac crest with ceramics, allograft or bone morphogenic protein. A case series of patients undergoing spinal fusion surgery is reported. All patients were treated with iliac crest reconstruction using Calcium Phosphate Cement and follow-up data of persistent donor-site pain was collected. Twelve patients underwent autograft harvest with iliac spine reconstruction using Calcium Phosphate Cement. 42% (5) had persistent donor-site pain (after 3 months). All pain scores were less than or equal to 2 out of 10 (mean 1.25). In conclusion, iliac spine reconstruction using Calcium Phosphate Cement following autogenous bone graft harvest is a relatively simple procedure which failed to decrease the incidence of donor-site morbidity in our patient population.