Microradiographic and histopathologic findings in a human cage explant after two-level corpectomy: a case report.

STUDY DESIGN: A case involving microradiographic and histopathologic analysis of an explanted human corpectomy mesh cage is reported. OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical circumstance, the radiographic appearance, and the histopathologic assessment of a titanium mesh device explanted from a two-level corpectomy. SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: To the authors' knowledge, no published microradiographic or histopathologic reports have described a retrieved human corpectomy cage. METHODS: The explanted device was stained using Osteochrome Villanueva bone stain and underwent routine decalcified histologic processing and embedding in polymethylmethacrylate. Midsagittal sections were prepared and polished to 100 microm for histologic and microradiographic analysis. RESULTS: Microscopic analysis demonstrated normal-appearing lamellar and woven trabecular bone in close contact with the titanium implant interface. Further analysis of serial sections indicated that, on the average, 35% (range, 30-40%) of the inner device region contained trabecular bone. CONCLUSION: Osteosynthesis and bone remodeling can occur within titanium corpectomy cages. METHODS: This study involved one titanium mesh device (Harms cage), 20 mm in diameter and 45 mm long, explanted from a two-level corpectomy clinical case. This device was retrieved, processed, and analyzed after informed patient consent and approval from the authors' institutional review board.