Harms titanium mesh cage fracture

Interbody fusion has become a mainstay of surgical management for lumbar fractures, tumors, spondylosis, spondylolisthesis and deformities. Over the years, it has undergone a number of metamorphoses, as novel instrumentation and approaches have arisen to reduce complications and enhance outcomes. Interbody fusion procedures are common and successful, complications are rare and most often do not involve the interbody device itself. We present here a patient who underwent an anterior L4 corpectomy with Harms cage placement and who later developed a fracture of the lumbar titanium mesh cage (TMC). This report details the presentation and management of this rare complication, as well as discusses the biomechanics underlying this rare instrumentation failure.