Evidence map›Paper›PMID 30972264›Full record

ArticleCureus2019

Disappearance of Anterior Cervical Corpectomy Cage.

Mei-Yin Yeh, Wen-Cheng Huang, Chao-Hung Kuo, Peng-Yuan Chang, Henrich Cheng

Abstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Cureus, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Mei-Yin YehNeurosurgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TWN.
Wen-Cheng HuangNeurosurgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TWN.
Chao-Hung KuoNeurosurgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TWN.
Peng-Yuan ChangNeurosurgery, Tao-Yuan General Hospital, Tao-Yuan, TWN.
Henrich ChengNeurosurgery, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, TWN.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Although cage subsidence and dislodgement are not uncommon in anterior cervical spine surgery, missing cages have seldom been reported. This is the first report of the disappearance of a metallic corpectomy cage after anterior cervical fusion. A 63-year-old man, who had a history of ankylosing spondylitis and diabetes mellitus, was involved in a motor vehicle accident that broke his neck. The traumatic C6 burst fracture caused myelopathy and instability, which required surgery. He then underwent anterior C6 corpectomy with circumferential fixation, including anterior plating and posterior lateral mass screws from C5-C7. There was a significant improvement in neurological function after the surgery and he could ambulate independently. However, upon a visit at six months postoperation, there was dislodgement of the anterior cervical plate and cage. An attempt to revise the anterior fusion construct was made subsequently, but this surgery could only remove the plate. The metallic cage was left in place during the revision surgery because it was firmly incorporated into the C5 and C7 vertebra and could hardly be adjusted intraoperatively. There were no other interventions during the interval. Upon his visit at 23 months after the initial surgery, the metallic cage was missing. No examinations could locate the cage anywhere in the body, including 36-inch radiographs that demonstrated completely the disappearance of the metallic corpectomy cage. The posterior arthrodesis seemed stable and the patient had no dysphagia or any other gastrointestinal symptoms. The process of the disappearance of the corpectomy cage was never noticed by the patient and he remains free of symptoms to date. The complete dislodgement of a cervical corpectomy cage that was placed anteriorly could happen without symptoms. The cage might have been expelled during bowel movements and caused little problem. Failure to achieve arthrodesis in anterior cervical fusion, therefore, must be closely monitored.

Indexed as

anterior cervical fusioncagedislodgementesophageal perforation

Identifiers

PMID30972264
PMCPMC6443108

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