Surg Neurol
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Bone morphogenic protein products enable lumber spine fusion. Few outcome studies have been performed to evaluate function and pain relief after posterior lumber decompression for degenerative disease, and few studies have provided detailed results of posterior lumbar fusion in elderly patients. This retrospective analysis presents a comprehensive examination of spinal fusion, functional outcomes, and pain relief in a growing elderly population in which a BMP was used. ⋯ The use of rhBMP-2 to augment fusion leads to satisfactory outcomes, specifically improved pain relief, function, and bone formation, in elderly patients without the use of instrumentation.