ArticleJournal of spine surgery (Hong Kong)2022
Fusion assessment in standalone lateral lumbar interbody fusion: 3D-printed titanium versus polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages.
Article in Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong), 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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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.
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.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 21 citations in OpenAlex.
- Clinical and radiological outcomes of titanium cage versus polyetheretherketone cage in lumbar interbody fusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Neurosurgical review · 2025Pooled it
- Comparison between Three-Dimensional Printed Titanium and PEEK Cages for Cervical and Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Prospective Controlled Trial.Orthopaedic surgery · 2023Trial
- 10-Year trend of lateral lumbar interbody fusion and the impact of 3D-printed titanium in a high-volume academic center.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Lateral lumbar interbody fusion to address pseudarthrosis after prior posterior spinal instrumentation.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Clinical and radiographic outcomes of anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) with a 3D-printed porous titanium intervertebral cage.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2026Article
- Ex vivo mechanical evaluation of anatomically and mechanically conforming patient-specific lumbar spinal fusion cages designed by full-scale topology optimization.North American Spine Society journal · 2026Article
- Optimal cage biomaterials for fusion and subsidence outcomes in lumbar spinal fusion: a network meta-analysis of 4881 patients.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Review
- 3D-printed porous titanium versus PEEK interbody cages in lumbar fusion: biomechanical rationale, clinical evidence, and emerging indications.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Review
- Analysis of the effect of modified bone grafting in lateral lumbar interbody fusion: A retrospective comparative cohort study.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2025Article
- Advancements in biomaterials and bioactive solutions for lumbar spine fusion cages: Current trends and future perspectives.Bioactive materials · 2025Review
- Impact of Habitual Flexion on Bone Formation After Spinal Fusion Surgery: An In Silico Study.JOR spine · 2025Article
- Applications of 3D printing in orthopedics: a scoping review.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2025Article
- 3D-printed titanium alloy cage in anterior and lateral lumbar interbody fusion for degenerative lumbar spine disease.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2024Article
- Fundamentals of Mechanobiology and Potential Applications in Spinal Fusion.International journal of spine surgery · 2023Article
- Lumbar lateral interbody fusion: step-by-step surgical technique and clinical experience.Journal of spine surgery (Hong Kong) · 2023Article
- Vertebral Endplate Concavity in Lateral Lumbar Interbody Fusion: Tapered 3D-Printed Porous Titanium Cage versus Squared PEEK Cage.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Compare fusion at two independent timepoints (early and late) between 3D-printed titanium (Ti) and polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cages in patients undergoing standalone lateral lumbar interbody fusion (SA-LLIF). We hypothesized that 3D-printed Ti cages show higher fusion rates at an early timepoint compared to PEEK. Methods: A retrospective study of patients undergoing SA-LLIF with 3D-printed Ti cages and PEEK cages between 11/2016 and 01/2020 at a single academic institution was done. Fusion was assessed for each treated level using multiplanar reconstructed computed tomography (CT) scans. Presence of fully bridged interbody trabecular bone or continuous bone centered in the cage was considered as fusion. Results: In total, 91 patients (136 levels) were included in the final analysis, 49 patients (72 levels) in the early group and 42 patients (64 levels) in the late group. CT scans were performed on average 8.2±1.8 months postoperatively for the early group and 18.9±7.7 months for the late group. In the early group, fusion was significantly higher for 3D-printed Ti cages compared to PEEK cages (95.8% versus 62.5%; P=0.002), whereas in the late group no significant difference was seen (94.7% versus 80.0%; P=0.258). Conclusions: In SA-LLIF, porous 3D-printed Ti cages showed significantly higher fusion rates at an early timepoint compared to PEEK. However, the difference in fusion rates between 3D-printed Ti cages and PEEK cages was found not to be significantly different at a later timepoint in another patient group. This might support the assumption that 3D-printed Ti cages with a porous architecture are more osteoconductive compared to PEEK and tend to fuse earlier.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.