title: Anterior cervical spine fusion using RABEA-Titan-Cages avoiding iliac crest spongiosa: first experiences and results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In cervical discectomy using the ventral approach both, the necessity of replacement of the removed disc space itself as well as the material of the graft, if used, is still a matter of discussion. New approaches are titan-cages, usually filled with autologeous spongiosa. We present in the following study our first experiences using the hollow RABEA-Titan-Cages without filling with spongiosa to avoid the iliac crest complications.
  
  
  METHODS
  63 patients (33 male, 30 female, age 25-79 years, mean 52 years) were operated on a degenerative cervical disc herniation by ventral discectomy and replacement of the disc by the cage for fusion. The mean follow-up was 8 months. The preoperative symptoms were radiculopathies (n = 43) and myelopathies (n = 20). The diagnosis was confirmed by CT, MRI, myelography/CT and functional plain x-ray examination excluding instability. Level of the disc herniation: C3/4 n = 3, C4/5 n = 4, C5/6 n = 21, C6/7 n = 23, C7/Th1 n = 5, and 7 cases with 2 levels. In 30 cases we found hard discs, in 13 cases soft discs and in 20 patients combined lesions. All patients were intra- and postoperatively controlled by x-ray examination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Free of complaints were 17 patients, a marked improvement was found in 33 cases, a minor improvement in 10 cases, from those 4 patients additionally suffered from depression or alcoholism and 1 patient had a trauma in the history. 3 patients showed no change. Minor neck pain was reported in 5 cases. The mean postoperative hospitalisation was 8 days. Surgery related complications: temporary radicular palsies n = 5, hoarseness/problems with swallowing n = 5. In 2 cases (3%) with osteoporosis surgical revision of the cage was necessary (one case with ventral dislocation and one case with recurrent nerve root compression). In all other cases the x-ray control proved the correct placement of the cages intra- and postoperatively on discharge.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  For the anterior cervical fusion, the hollow RABEA-Titan-Cages present good clinical results and help to avoid complications from the iliac crest donor site. For long-term results, a longer follow-up and a increased number of patients is required.
authors.affiliation: Neurosurgical Department, Klinikum Villingen-Schwenningen, Germany. nch.manfred.lange@klinikumvs.de
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Philipp
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Oeckler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002574:Cervical Vertebrae / Q000601:surgery*; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007405:Intervertebral Disc Displacement / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009192:Myelography; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications; D012086:Reoperation; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013123:Spinal Fusion / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D016896:Treatment Outcome