Complications associated with cervical vertebral body replacement with expandable titanium cages

• We studied a novel homogenized study population receiving a singe device for cervical vertebral body replacement (VBR).
• Univariate and multivariate analysis of perioperative complications and risk factors.
• Our main focus was short-term complication rate emphasizing hardware-association.
• More than 1 level corpectomy is an independent risk factor for increased complication rates.
• Assessing fusion rate after VBR with full-titanium cages is controversial.

Our aim was to analyze complications and risk factors for cervical vertebral body replacement (VBR) with expandable titanium cages (ETC). Fifty patients; 22 women and 28 men, mean age 61 years, undergoing cervical VBR from 2010 to 2015 were analyzed. Complications were stratified by hardware-association (HA). Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors. Single, two and three level corpectomies were performed in 32, 15 and 3 patients respectively. A circumferential approach was necessary in 16 cases. At mean follow-up (7.3 months) 66% of patients had recovered. Radiological data showed a significant distraction (2.60 mm, p < 0.0001) and lordosis (5°, p = 0.001). Twenty-three patients experienced 42 complications; 18 HA, 24 non-HA and 24% needed revision surgery. The number of corpectomy levels and surgical approach significantly correlated with the risk of complications (p = 0.001), especially non-HA complications (p = 0.002). On multivariate analysis, only the number of corpectomy levels (p < 0.02, odds ratio 5.48, 95% CI 1.31–22.91) was a significant predictor of complications. We conclude that ETC are efficacious devices for cervical spine VBR, however, when used for more than 1 level, the corpectomy complication rate significantly increases.