To determine the efficacy of allograft bone in spinal surgery, a
retrospective study was carried out on thirty-two patients who had had
spinal fusion with banked bone from the femoral head between 1977 and 1983.
The diagnoses were paralytic and neuromuscular scoliosis. At final
follow-up (average, 3.7 years), the infection rate was 9.3 per cent. There
were no pseudarthroses, and all patients had well marginated trabecular
markings by eighteen months. The rates of complications and of fusion were
comparable with or better than those obtained using autogenous bone
graft.