Minimally invasive bone harvesting tools.

The most readily available source for autologous bone graft used in spinal fusion (the gold standard) is the iliac crest. However, the open surgical approach for harvesting corticocancellous iliac bone is associated with a marked increase in morbidity. This study suggests two alternatives to the traditional open harvesting procedure. For anterior interbody fusion procedures using a cage, the autologous bone is harvested regionally from a neighboring vertebral body. Alternatively, using minimally invasive techniques, a custom bone graft harvester with a flexible tube and cutting tip allows harvesting of autologous bone from a single entry point at the iliac crest. The effect on the mechanical strength of a lumbar vertebra of removing a cylindrical regional bone graft was studied in a cadaveric model. The bone defect was filled using three different filler materials: a porous tri-calcium phosphate plug, a porous tantalum plug, and a self-setting calcium phosphate cement. After plug removal, the vertebral body's strength in flexion/compression loading was reduced significantly, but could be restored to at least intact values with any of the three filler materials. The minimally invasive bone graft harvester was tested in three cadaveric pelves. With the cutting tip being guided within the cortical boundaries of the pelvis, cancellous bone volumes of 10-20 cc could be harvested from each iliac bone. Regional bone graft harvest in anterior spine surgery is suggested to be anatomically safe and biomechanically acceptable. Any of the three filler materials can restore the vertebral body's mechanical strength, but the filler's long-term resorption/remodeling or osteointegration behavior is unknown. The minimally invasive bone graft harvester is a novel tool, which performed satisfactorily under laboratory conditions, but clinical results are still missing.