The Use of Bone Substitutes in Spine Surgery

Recent developments in surgical techniques have led to an increased demand for bone stock. Fusion enhancement, bone-void filling in tumor surgery and trauma are only a few examples. Autologous bone can be considered as the most successful bone graft material, and constitutes the accepted "gold standard", as it combines all the properties required from the bone graft. In this book a 'state of the art in bone substitution for the spine' is presented. The general principles of bone biology and bone healing are outlined, as are recent advances in understanding and influencing bone formation. A variety of substitutes are described and compared.