Migrated XLIF cage: case report and discussion of surgical technique

Extreme lateral interbody fusion (XLIF; NuVasive, Inc, San Diego, California) is a minimally invasive technique developed to avoid complications associated with traditional or minimally invasive anterior or posterior approaches to lumbar interbody fusion. It uses a direct lateral, retroperitoneal, transpsoas approach for placement of an interbody cage. To date, no reports of cage-related complications or procedures for revising an XLIF have been published. This article describes a case of a complication unique to this procedure and the surgical technique used to treat it. A 49-year-old woman underwent XLIF at L3-4 with supplemental posterior pedicle fixation for treatment of a pseudarthrosis of a previous fusion performed for junctional degeneration below an old scoliosis construct. One month postoperatively, she reported increasing leg pain, and imaging studies demonstrated the cage to have extruded laterally. The cage was revised using a mini-open lateral approach. The presence of neurologic symptoms (leg pain) necessitated the cage to first be reimpacted before it could be safely extracted. A new cage was placed with the addition of a lateral plate. The patient's leg pain resolved shortly after the revision, and at 1-year follow-up, she appeared to have a solid fusion with no further complications. If required, XLIF may be safely and effectively revised through a minimally invasive or mini-open lateral approach. Use of a lateral plate as a buttress should be considered in cases associated with significant coronal deformity or lateral listhesis, even when planning use of supplemental posterior instrumentation.