• Daniel Lubelski, Kalil G Abdullah, Amy S Nowacki, Matthew D Alvin, Michael P Steinmetz, Srita Chakka, Yumeng Li, Nicholas Gajewski, Edward C Benzel, and Thomas E Mroz.
• Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Center for Spine Health, Departments of Neurological, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA.
• J Neurosurg Spine. 2013 Feb 1; 18 (2): 126-31.

ObjectThe goal of this study was to compare the urological complications in patients after anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with and without the use of recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2).MethodsThe authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of all patients who underwent ALIF with and without rhBMP-2 between January 2002 and August 2010. Patient demographic, operative, and complication information was analyzed. Male patients who underwent ALIF between L-4 and S-1 were contacted to assess postoperative urological complications.ResultsOf the 110 male patients who underwent ALIF and were included in this study, 59 were treated with rhBMP-2 and 51 did not receive rhBMP-2. The mean follow-up duration was 17.5 months for the rhBMP-2 group and 30.8 months for the control group. No difference was found regarding the total number of urological complications in the rhBMP-2 group versus the control group (22% vs 20%, respectively; p = 1.0) or for retrograde ejaculation specifically (8% vs 8%, respectively; p = 1.0).ConclusionsIn this study, the use of rhBMP-2 with ALIF surgery was not associated with an increased incidence of urological complications and retrograde ejaculation when compared with control ALIF without rhBMP-2. Further prospective analyses that specifically look at these complications are warranted.

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