Collapsing Corpectomy Cages, a Cause for Concern?

Description

In this presentation, Oliver Flannery, a medical professional in the Severn Deanery, discusses findings related to the use of titanium expandable cages in cervical corpectomy procedures performed at Musgrove Park in Taunton. Flannery provides a background on cervical corpectomy, which is a routine surgical intervention in the UK typically used to treat issues like cervical stenosis. He then details the problem of expandable cage collapse that was noted in a 58-year-old patient six months post-operation, leading to further investigation into cage failures within their unit.



Flannery explains the parameters of their research, including reviewing clinical data and imaging for cervical corpectomy cases involving Globus Fortify implants. Out of 71 patients studied, they discovered a 4% rate of complete collapse and an additional potential 7% rate of height changes in cages, emphasizing the importance of monitoring post-operative outcomes through radiographic analysis. He elaborates on the methodology used to assess changes in the cages over time by measuring thread counts and performing comparisons of intraoperative and follow-up X-rays.



The presentation also addresses the implications of these findings, noting limitations such as the absence of anterior plates in some cases and the variability in imaging comparability. Flannery discusses potential contributing factors such as multi-level corpectomies and patient falls leading to cage failures. Moving forward, he mentions the decision to discontinue use of the cages in question at their facility and the outreach to affected patients for further assessments. The presentation concludes with Flannery inviting questions from the audience.

DOI: 10.1302/3114-230327

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