Expandable titanium cages in anterior cervical discectomy and fusion are safe and effective, according to a study in the Oct. 2025 issue of the Journal of Spine Surgery.
The cages may offer an advantage with achieving optimal sagittal alignment in ACDFs, researchers said in the study.
In a retrospective study at New York City-based Weill Cornell Medicine/New York Presbyterian, researchers evaluated 44 ACDF patients between 2019 and 2023 who had an expandable titanium cage implanted.
Clinical outcomes showed significant improvements in numerical ratings scale for arm pain, neck pain and neck disability index. Fusions occurred in 69 out of 77 treated levels. Subsidence was seen in 16 of 77 levels and in 10 of 23 segments. There were no revisions or neurological complications.
Cervical lordosis, segmental lodosis and anterior disc height also improved.
“I am extremely excited by the continued progression of expandable cage technology,” Roger Härtl, MD, an author on the study, told Becker’s. “Finally, having an expandable cervical cage allows surgeons to address focal deformities. This will enhance our ability to provide personalized medicine in the cervical spine.”
