I’ve used lava rocks. They work great for aeration. Perlite is better because you can move the pots. A 5 gallon bucket with soil and lava rocks as aeration will weight twice as much as a perlite and soil pot. The difference in quality is not worth having heavy pots. I grow in 30 gallon pots with perlite and can barely pickup the pots. With lava rocks as aeration in 30 gallon pots weigh slightly less than a Volkswagen Beetle.
Where would I think about lava rocks?
Permanent beds you have no plan on moving anytime soon. Lava rocks are typically used in No till beds that are outdoors or not going to be moved. Something like 50+ gallon pots on rolling platforms in a Kiddie pool in a basement is how I would do lava indoors.