Effect of platelet-rich plasma on the acceleration of graft bone catabolism in lateral lumbar interbody fusion in a short-term assessment

This study aimed to demonstrate whether impregnating the graft bone with platelet-rich plasma (PRP) accelerates graft bone catabolism in lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF). Consecutive patients who underwent LLIF were assessed. Of the two spaces for bone grafts in the intervertebral cage, one space was filled with graft bone impregnated with PRP, and the other was filled with graft bone without PRP, which divided the graft bones into PRP and non-PRP groups. The mean Hounsfield units (HU) of the graft bone at the center of the cage space in the coronal and axial slices were measured using computed tomography (CT) images 1 week and 6 months after surgery. The delta value of HU from 1 week to 6 months after surgery was calculated for the PRP and non-PRP groups. We compared the delta values of the HU between the two groups. The PRP and non-PRP groups comprised 16 bone grafts. In the coronal slices, the HU value in the PRP group (delta value: 526.1 +/- 352.2) tended to have a greater decrease at 6 months after surgery compared with that in the non-PRP group (delta value: 217.6 +/- 240.4) (p = 0.065). In the axial slices, the HU value in the PRP group (delta value: 501.3 +/- 319.6) was significantly decreased at 6 months after surgery compared with that in the non-PRP group (delta value: 159.2 +/- 215.3) (p = 0.028). Impregnating the graft-bone with PRP accelerated graft bone catabolism in LLIF within 6 months after surgery.