• William R Klemme, Bryan W Cunningham, and David W Polly LD.
• Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, DC 20307, USA. William.Klemme@na.amedd.army.mil
• Spine. 2002 Jan 1; 27 (1): E15E17E15-7.

Study DesignA case involving microradiographic and histopathologic analysis of an explanted human corpectomy mesh cage is reported.ObjectiveTo 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 DataTo the authors' knowledge, no published microradiographic or histopathologic reports have described a retrieved human corpectomy cage.MethodsThe 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.ResultsMicroscopic 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.ConclusionOsteosynthesis and bone remodeling can occur within titanium corpectomy cages.MethodsThis 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.

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