Subsidence of metal interbody cage after posterior lumbar interbody fusion with pedicle screw fixation.

Posterior lumbar interbody fusion is considered to be an excellent fusion procedure to stabilize anterior support, correct alignment in the sagittal and coronal plane, and achieve foraminal decompression by lifting the disk height. The metal interbody cage in posterior lumbar interbody fusion is thought to be useful to prevent collapse of the graft bone and to correct and maintain disk height; however, some studies have noted a gradual decrease of disk height due to cage subsidence. Therefore, to investigate the significance of cage subsidence, 86 disk levels radiographically confirmed to have good union in 66 patients with posterior lumbar interbody fusion combined with pedicle screw fixation and a single metal cage for degenerative lumbar disease were retrospectively evaluated. The follow-up period ranged from 3 years to 10 years 3 months, with a mean of 7 years 9 months. Cage subsidence often showed a gradual increase over time. At final follow-up, subsidence averaged 4.0 mm on the cranial surface and 2.7 mm on the caudal surface. Although the average increase of disk height was 3.2 mm immediately postoperatively, the final disk height decreased by 4.2 mm on average from that time. The degree of cage subsidence and decrease of disk height were not correlated with the final clinical results. Subsidence was not correlated with bone mineral density in the vertebral body, body weight, or site of the insertion. On the other hand, the wedge shape of the cage and the thickness of the resected endplate had a significant influence on cage subsidence.