A randomized double-blind prospective study of the efficacy of pulsed electromagnetic fields for interbody lumbar fusions

Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1990 Jul;15(7):708-12. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199007000-00016.

Abstract

A randomized double-blind prospective study of pulsed electromagnetic fields for lumbar interbody fusions was performed on 195 subjects. There were 98 subjects in the active group and 97 subjects in the placebo group. A brace containing equipment to induce an electromagnetic field was applied to patients undergoing interbody fusion in the active group, and a sham brace was used in the control group. In the active group there was a 92% success rate, while the control group had a 65% success rate (P greater than 0.005). The effectiveness of bone graft stimulation with the device is thus established.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial
  • Comparative Study
  • Randomized Controlled Trial

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Bone Transplantation
  • Braces
  • Double-Blind Method
  • Electric Stimulation Therapy
  • Electromagnetic Fields*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lumbar Vertebrae / surgery*
  • Male
  • Prospective Studies
  • Rabbits
  • Spinal Fusion*
  • Wound Healing / radiation effects