A cervical "zero-profile" cage with integrated angle-stable fixation: 24-months results

Area of Science:

• Spinal Surgery
• Orthopedic Implants
• Cervical Spine Fusion

Background:

• Anterior cervical fusion is a common procedure for cervical spine pathologies.
• Existing implants may have limitations in terms of profile and fixation.
• Novel devices aim to improve safety, efficacy, and patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the mid-term safety and efficacy of a novel "zero-profile" stand-alone cage.
• To assess fusion rates, implant stability, and complication incidence.
• To determine the device's suitability for single- and multilevel anterior cervical fusions.

Main Methods:

• Prospective, mono-centric case series.
• 53 patients underwent anterior cervical discectomy and fusion with the "zero-profile" implant.
• Minimum 24-month follow-up, including CT scans at 12 months for fusion assessment.

Main Results:

• Achieved an overall fusion rate of 97%.
• No instances of hardware failure were recorded.
• A low rate of mild dysphagia (6.6%) was observed at 24 months.

Conclusions:

• The "zero-profile" stand-alone cervical cage demonstrates safety and efficacy.
• It facilitates effective anterior cervical decompression and stabilization.
• Further randomized trials are recommended to validate these findings.