Bisphosphonates and parathyroid hormone analogs for improving bone quality in spinal fusion: State of evidence

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

  • Kivanc Atesok - , Children's Hospital New Orleans/LSU Health Science Center (Author)
  • Martina Stippler - , Harvard Medical School (HMS) (Author)
  • Brendan M Striano - , Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program (HCORP) (Author)
  • Grace Xiong - , Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program (HCORP) (Author)
  • Matthew Lindsey - , Harvard Combined Orthopaedic Residency Program (HCORP) (Author)
  • Elysia Cappellucci - , Harvard Medical School (HMS) (Author)
  • Alexandra Psilos - , Children's Hospital New Orleans/LSU Health Science Center (Author)
  • Sven Richter - , Department of Neurosurgery, National Center for Tumor Diseases Dresden, Harvard Medical School (HMS) (Author)
  • Michael J Heffernan - , Children's Hospital New Orleans/LSU Health Science Center (Author)
  • Steven Theiss - , University of Alabama at Birmingham (Author)
  • Efstathios Papavassiliou - , Harvard Medical School (HMS) (Author)

Abstract

Spinal fusion is among the most commonly performed surgical procedures for elderly patients with spinal disorders - including degenerative disc disease with spondylolisthesis, deformities, and trauma. With the large increase in the aging population and the prevalence of osteoporosis, the number of elderly osteoporotic patients needing spinal fusion has risen dramatically. Due to reduced bone quality, postoperative complications such as implant failures, fractures, post-junctional kyphosis, and pseudarthrosis are more commonly seen after spinal fusion in osteoporotic patients. Therefore, pharmacologic treatment strategies to improve bone quality are commonly pursued in osteoporotic cases before conducting spinal fusions. The two most commonly used pharmacotherapeutics are bisphosphonates and parathyroid hormone (PTH) analogs. Evidence indicates that using bisphosphonates and PTH analogs, alone or in combination, in osteoporotic patients undergoing spinal fusion, decreases complication rates and improves clinical outcomes. Further studies are needed to develop guidelines for the administration of bisphosphonates and PTH analogs in osteoporotic spinal fusion patients in terms of treatment duration, potential benefits of sequential use, and the selection of either therapeutic agents based on patient characteristics.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)8590
JournalOrthopedic reviews
Volume12
Issue number2
Publication statusPublished - 6 Aug 2020
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC7461648
Scopus 85090926143