Repair of Iliac Crest Defects with a Hydroxyapatite/Collagen Composite

STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective study. PURPOSE: This study aimed to assess the effect of refilling with hydroxyapatite/collagen (HAp/Col) composite on an iliac crest defect after spinal fusion. OVERVIEW OF LITERATURE: The use of iliac crest bone graft has been the gold standard in spinal fusion for a long time because of its biological and non-immunologic properties. Few reports have addressed how bone defects recover after iliac crest bone harvest following spinal fusion. METHODS: Cancellous bone was collected from the anterior iliac crest during lateral interbody fusion (LIF), and the bone void of the ilium was refilled with a porous HAp/Col composite. We assessed bone recovery using computed tomography (CT). From the 74 patients who underwent LIF between January 2015 and December 2016, we included 49 patients whose iliac crest could be evaluated using CT at 3 months and 1 year after the surgery. RESULTS: Bone defects decreased in a time-dependent manner after the surgery. Cortical closure was observed in 28.5% of the cases 3 months after the surgery; at 1 year postoperatively, 95.9% of the patients had cortical closure. Complete repair of the cancellous bone was achieved in 57.1% of the patients at 3 months after the surgery and in 95.9% at 1 year after the surgery. There were no significant hematomas, infections, iliac crest fractures, or soft tissue herniation. CONCLUSIONS: Radiographic recovery of cortical and cancellous bone defects was achieved with high probability via refilling with HAp/Col composite over the 1-year period.