Extract
Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) has been
tested as a bone-graft substitute in randomized, prospective clinical trials
since
19971-4.
In certain procedures, its efficacy with regard to both arthrodesis rates and
clinical outcome has equaled that obtained with iliac crest bone graft. The
United States Food and Drug Administration recently approved the use of
rhBMP-2 as a bone-graft replacement during anterior lumbar interbody
arthrodesis in conjunction with a tapered, threaded intervertebral cage
(LT-CAGE; Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Minneapolis, Minnesota).