• Tamima Sultana, Mosharraf Hossain, Je Hoon Jeong, and Soobin Im.
• Department of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Bucheon Hospital, Bucheon, South Korea.
• World Neurosurg. 2023 Nov 1; 179: e241e255e241-e255.

ObjectiveTransforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is performed worldwide with polyetheretherketone (PEEK) and titanium (Ti) cages for the treatment of degenerative lumbar diseases. The aim of this study was to compare radiologic outcomes between a PEEK and three-dimensional-printed titanium (3DP-Ti) cage after TLIF with >1 year of follow-up.MethodsA total of 140 patients with degenerative lumbar diseases who underwent TLIF operation were included in this study. Intervertebral disc height and whole lumbar lordosis were measured and evaluated from the preoperative stage to the final follow-up. Subsidence of the cage was indicated if the cage sunk into the adjacent vertebral body or if there was a reduction in height of the fused segment by ≥3 mm during the postoperative follow-up. Migration of the cage was determined as the displacement of the interbody cage by ≥2 mm during the postoperative period. Fusion status was assessed at the 1 year and final follow-up using standard methods.ResultsBoth disc height and lumbar lordosis were well maintained throughout the study period, and no significant differences were observed between PEEK and 3DP-Ti groups. Both PEEK and 3DP-Ti cages demonstrated low rates of cage subsidence, with no significant difference was noted. A significant cage migration rate was observed in the PEEK group and the revision operation was required for 2 patients. The fusion rate of this study was not found to be statistically significant, although the 3DP-Ti cage was known to have an improved fusion rate than PEEK cage after lumbar interbody fusion.ConclusionsRadiologic results suggest that the 3DP-Ti cage may be a better interbody cage for TLIF than is the PEEK cage.Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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