Allograft Disc Tissue Injection Aids Degenerative Disc Disease Symptoms

TUESDAY, March 7, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- An injection of allograft disc tissue into the spine alleviates pain associated with degenerative disc disease, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March 4 to 9 in Phoenix.

Douglas Beall, M.D., and Islam Fayed, D.O., both from Clinical Radiology of Oklahoma in Edmond, and colleagues report on the 36-month follow-up of an open-label extension to the VAST randomized trial in which 218 patients with one- or two-level degenerative lumbar disc disease and refractory chronic low back pain were randomly assigned to investigational allograft or saline. Fifty patients (46 treated with allograft) had follow-up data available.

The researchers found that in the allograft-treated group, the mean change from baseline in the visual analog scale score at month 36 was −35.35. Patients in the allograft-treated group had clinically meaningful benefits through 36 months in both pain and function, with 60 percent reporting ≥50 percent improvement in pain and more than 70 percent having a ≥20-point reduction in the Oswestry Disability Index.

"Existing treatment for chronic low back pain due to degenerative disc disease is often ineffective or the effects are short-lived," Beall said in a statement. "We need better treatments for this condition since conservative care is not providing the long-term outcomes that patients deserve. Injectable allograft treatment might be the answer for many people."

Beall disclosed financial ties to VIVEX Biologics, which funded the study.

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