Donor Site Morbidity as a Problem of Spinal Surgery: Systematic Review

Iliac crest bone autograft is most commonly used grafting material in spinal surgery. Despite the high efficiency of bone autograft in spinal fusion, its application is associated with a number of negative points including so called donor site morbidity, i.e. complications of bone graft harvesting. Major complications are associated with harvesting technique. The most significant minor complication is chronic postoperative pain which incidence is 28-31 %. Chronic donor site pain may be caused by muscle mobilization, external cortex destruction in the iliac wing, and nerve damage. The treatment of chronic donor site pain is still exclusively symptomatic. Main factors influencing the rate of iliac crest bone harvesting complications and preventive techniques are reviewed.