Turkish Neurosurgery 2006 , Vol 16 , Num 3
Polyetheretherketone (Peek) Cages For Cervical Interbody Replacement: Clinical Experience
Serdar KAHRAMAN, Mehmet DANEYEMEZ, Hakan KAYALI, İlker SOLMAZ, Altay BEDÜK, Melih AKAY
Department of Neurosurgery Gülhane Military Medical Academy Ankara, Turkey OBJECTIVE: This study evaluates the efficiency of interbody polyetheretherketone (PEEK) cage implantation in 85 consecutive cases treated for discogenic cervical disorders with radiculopathy or myelopathy.

METHODS: Between the years 2002-2005, 85 patients were treated with cervical interbody fusion using a PEEK cage. There were 60 male and 25 female patients and the mean age was 46 years (range, 21-82 years). PEEK cages were packed with demineralised bone grafts or synthetic bone grafts. Additional plating was not used in any case. The median duration of follow-up was 12 months (range, 6-36 months). Cervical x-rays were routinely used in the followup to assess the fusion, pseudoarthrosis, kyphosis, cage migration, subsidence or breakage.

RESULTS: No implant insufficiency was observed in any case.

CONCLUSION: Efficient interbody replacement is still an ongoing problem in cervical surgery. Different techniques and materials have been developed to overcome this problem. The use of a cervical PEEK cage seems to be a good alternative in that it does not require additional anterior plating and bone graft harvesting for achieving cervical interbody replacement. Keywords : Cervical surgery, interbody implant, PEEK cage

Corresponding author : Serdar Kahraman, skahraman@gata.edu.tr