The ovine interbody fusion study demonstrated that Vitrium was superior to PEEK cages and, importantly, that bone ingrowth was observed not just around the Vitrium implant, but throughout it, with evidence of the implant being resorbed and replaced by host bone by 26 weeks. This represents “total biologic fusion” where bone bridges seamlessly between two vertebral bodies with no long term presence of spacer and / or graft as is seen below.
In this GLP study, an instrumented two-level fusion was performed with Vitrium or PEEK spacers being placed at L2-L3 and L4-L5. Results were reviewed radiographically, histologically and biomechanically at 8 and 26 weeks. The most significant results were: