Bone Marrow Aspirate Concentration in Posterior Cervical Fusion

Overview

The purpose of this research is to test if that combining bone marrow aspirate (removing bone marrow with a needle) concentration with locally harvested (collected) autograft (patient's own bone from another part of the body) for use as the bone graft results in equal rates of a successful procedure (fusion), as compared to current best practice in high-risk patients undergoing posterior cervical fusion. Hypothesis: Bone marrow aspirate concentration combined with locally harvested autograft results in equivalent rates of bony fusion, as compared to current best practice in high-risk patients undergoing posterior cervical decompression and fusion.

100 consecutive high-risk patients who meet the following inclusion criteria: are 18-75 years of age, require a cervical spine MRI as part of their standard of care show evidence of CSM, and have cervical alignment allowing posterior instrumented fusion. High-risk will be defined as having a diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, current smoker, or BMI \>30. Patients will be excluded if they have any MRI incompatible devices, have any prior cervical instrumentation, require an instrumented anterior cervical fusion, or have an underlying neurological condition affecting the cervical spine (MS, ALS, HIV). Patients will be sequentially randomized to one of two treatment groups. Group I, will receive current best practice for posterior instrumented fusion (locally harvested autograft, demineralized bone matrix, and cadaveric allograft). Group II, will receive locally harvested autograft and 20 cc of bone marrow aspirate concentration. To assist with analysis, we will collect information from patients' hematology results, obtained per their standard of care pre-operative workup. All patients will be treated post-operatively at the discretion of the treating surgeon. All patients will follow-up at 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, and 24 months. At the 6, 12, and 24-month follow-up all patients will undergo flexion/extension X-rays, fusion will be defined as less than 2 mm or motion. A cervical spine CT may also be obtained at 24 months on all patients to assess fusion at the discretion of the treating surgeon. All radiographic assessments of fusion will be made by a Washington University staff radiologist, blinded to patient treatment.