Abstract
Patients who undergo spine surgery can have suboptimal outcomes postoperatively from pseudarthrosis. Historically, iliac crest bone graft, which provides all of the critical elements of bone repair, has been the gold standard for spine fusion, however, recent studies suggest that less than 6% of the U.S. spine surgeon population utilizes this procedure. Several bone graft substitutes are now available worldwide that obviate the need for the complications from iliac crest harvesting such as growth factors, stem cells, and allograft-based products. Recent developments in the production of biomaterials have highlighted the potential for synthetic scaffolds in providing graft options for surgeons in the future. With novel 3D printing methods, use of peptide amphiphiles, and formulation modifications, we will review the promising technologies that may revolutionize spinal biologics.