UNLABELLED: INTRODUCTION Alternative fusion expanders are in clinical use for instrumented posterolateral fusion (PLF) to avoid donor site morbidity in autologous bone graft (ABG) harvesting. Purpose of this study was to evaluate demineralized bone matrix (DBM) in PLF as alternative to the gold standard of ABG in acute traumatic vertebral body fractures of the thoracolumbar spine. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively identified 101 patients with acute traumatic vertebral body fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine who were treated with instrumented PLF in our level one trauma center between 2005 and 2011. Patients with a primary paraplegia, osteodepriving disease or loss to follow-up had been excluded. Until August 2008, autologous bone graft harvested from the posterior iliac crest was used in PLF (control group n = 46). Starting September 2008, DBM was used as fusion expander in PLF (study group n = 16). Clinical and radiological evaluation was performed with a minimum followup of 18 months to assess the clinical and radiological outcome. RESULTS We found a fusion rate of 94% in patients undergoing PLF with the use of DBM and 100% with the use of ABG. There was one major complication of deep infection in the DBM group and two cases of superficial wound infection in the ABG group. We discovered a trend of reduced operating time with the use of DBM. CONCLUSIONS DBM leads to a similar fusion rate as the use of ABG in patients undergoing PLF for acute traumatic vertebral body fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine. DBM is associated with reduced operating time. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE III: case-control study Key words: demineralized bone matrix instrumented posterolateral fusion, acute traumatic vertebral body fracture, thoracolumbar spine, autologous bone graft.

• MeSH
• Transplantation, Autologous MeSH
• Lumbar Vertebrae injuries   surgery   MeSH
• Biocompatible Materials therapeutic use   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Spinal Fractures surgery   MeSH
• Spinal Fusion methods   MeSH
• Fracture Healing MeSH
• Thoracic Vertebrae injuries   surgery   MeSH
• Bone Matrix transplantation   MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Ilium transplantation   MeSH
• Osseointegration MeSH
• Retrospective Studies MeSH
• Case-Control Studies MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

• MeSH
• Biocompatible Materials therapeutic use   MeSH
• Platelet-Derived Growth Factor therapeutic use   MeSH
• Financing, Organized MeSH
• Genetic Therapy methods   MeSH
• Bone Matrix transplantation   MeSH
• Bone Morphogenetic Proteins therapeutic use   MeSH
• Bone Substitutes therapeutic use   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mesenchymal Stem Cell Transplantation utilization   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Review MeSH