Biologics of Lumbar Interbody Fusion

Lumbar interbody spine fusion is increasingly utilized for treatment of a variety of spinal pathologies. The utilization of biologics in this space has gained significant interest from both—a research and clinical perspective. Historically, iliac crest bone graft has been the gold standard for lumbar interbody spine fusion, however, to avoid donor site morbidity, other options for bone graft substitutes are now commercially available. These include allograft, demineralized bone matrix, ceramics, and recombinant growth factors. More data is needed to assess clinical efficacy of mesenchymal stem cells, platelet rich plasma and peptides.