OBJECTIVE: Bone graft substitutes have been developed to obviate the need for autograft from the iliac crest and its resultant complications. SiCaP (Actifuse, ApaTech US, UK) is a calcium phosphate bone graft substitute with selective controlled silicate substitution in a patented 3-dimensional structure resembling natural bone. METHODS: 19 patients who underwent cervical spine fusion were retrospectively reviewed. Radiographic evaluation and clinical evaluation were performed using Neck Disability Index questionnaire and Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pre- and post-operatively. RESULTS: The mean post-operative follow-up was 14 ± 5 months, range 7-30 months. Eleven patients had an anterior approach, five patients had a posterior approach, and 3 had combined anterior-posterior approaches. Radiographic review showed 19/19 (100%) patients were considered fused, with no subsidence, hardware breakage, or hardware loosening. No instances of heterotopic bone formation or intracanal boney ingrowths were observed. Clinically, average Neck Disability scores decreased 13.3 points (pre-op 34.5, post-op 21.2, a 39% improvement); average VAS neck pain scores decreased 2.2 points (4.9 pre-op to 1.9 post-op; a 44.9% improvement; average VAS arm pain decreased 2.0 points (2.7 pre-op to 0.7 post-op, a 74.1% improvement). There were no complications such as infection, osteolysis, or abnormal swelling of soft tissues. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary results from this series with the use of SiCaP bone graft substitute were encouraging, with solid fusion occurring in all subjects, and no heterotopic bone formation or intracanal bone ingrowths. SiCaP seems to be a reliable alternative to autograft on cervical spine fusion achieving solid fusion with no complications.
ACDF; Posterior cervical fusion; Bone graft substitute
