A prospective randomized comparison of PEEK cage containing calcium sulphate or demineralized bone matrix with autograft in anterior cervical interbody fusion

68 patients with cervical degenerative disc disease and radiculopathy and/or myelopathy were randomized to undergo anterior cervical fusion with a polyetheretherketone (PEEK) interbody cage containing either calcium sulfate/demineralized bone matrix (CS/DBM) pellets or autogenous iliac cancellous bone (AIB) pellets. The purpose of the study was to determine whether the use of CS/DBM pellets provided a safe alternative to the AIB pellets, while yielding similar clinical outcomes. Findings indicated that the CS/DBM provided similar fusion and recovery rate of clinical outcome to AIB, and was associated with significantly lower blood loss and shorter operative time.