Titanium mesh cage fracture after lumbar reconstruction surgery: a case report and literature review

Titanium mesh cage (TMC) was introduced recently to provide anterior structural support and interbody fusion without the need to harvest bone from the iliac crest. Because of its good mechanical behavior and satisfactory clinical outcomes, TMC is commonly used for lumbar burst fractures. Here, we present a female patient who underwent a posterior-anterior L4 corpectomy with TMC placement and developed a cage fracture after 42 months. The patient refused the revision surgery and asked for conservative treatment. At the 3-month follow-up, she reported doing well, with no complaints of back pain or leg pain. There were three cases of TMC fracture have been previously reported in the literature. Only one patient performed a revision surgery with an expandable titanium cage, and all this three patients experienced a good outcome during the follow-up period. TMC fracture is a rare complication of spinal surgery. Close observation or surgical treatment should be considered to improve patient outcomes. Although cage placement, instability, subsidence, and both stress shielding and necrotic bone in the cage appear to play key roles in the pathogenesis of this rare complication, the exact mechanism of this condition remains undetermined.