In the method of spinal fusion described, in which splintered rib is used for the graft, the articular facets are destroyed, because it has been felt, as Haas shows experimentally, that this procedure produces firmer fixation.
This method presents the following distinct advantages over other types of fusion operations:
1. The operative trauma is slight.
2. An accessible graft source, which supplies cortex, medulla, and endosteum for osteogenesis, is used.
3. Osteogenesis is very rapid.
4. The resulting graft is broad and thick and is attached to the whole surface of the laminae.