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Study: Few patients have long-term donor site pain after tricortical anterior iliac crest bone graft
In this prospective cohort study, researchers found about 4% of patients experienced moderate, persistent donor site pain at 1-year follow-up after they underwent tricortical anterior iliac crest bone graft for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.
Researchers prospectively enrolled 50 patients from two tertiary care centers, and observed complications and patient-reported outcomes after tricortical anterior iliac crest bone graft (AICBG) for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Patients filled out SF-12 and a numeric rating scale (NRS) for pain in the arm, neck and donor site preoperatively and again at 1 week, 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months to 6 months, and at the final 1-year follow-up. This cohort was compared with a control group who underwent ACDF with allograft or polyether ether ketone cages, according to researchers.
Sheyan J. Armaghani
Researchers found the mean NRS pain scores for the neck and arm decreased significantly through final follow-up. However, the SF-12 physical component scale score increased significantly during the same period, but the SF-12 mental component scale score did not increase.
Two (4%) minor complications were observed at the donor site in the patient cohort during the course of the year, and each occurred within the first 2 weeks.
“The harvest of tricortical anterior iliac crest bone graft for ACDF is well-tolerated without significant complications and at 1-year outcomes are no different than ACDF without AICBG harvest. Only 4% of patients (maximum 10%) at 1 year experienced persistent, moderate pain. Preoperative opioid use was associated with increased donor site pain within the first 2 weeks postoperatively, but not in long-term,” researchers wrote in the study. – by Robert Linnehan
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.