A comparison of a new zero-profile, stand-alone Fidji cervical cage and anterior cervical plate for single and multilevel ACDF: a minimum 2-year follow-up study

Purpose To compare perioperative parameters, clinical outcomes, radiographic parameters, and complication rates of the new zero-profile, stand-alone Fidji cervical cage with those of the stand-alone cages with a titanium plate for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) for the surgical treatment of single- and multilevel cervical degenerative disc disease (DDD). Methods Between October 2009 and December 2013, 152 consecutive patients [86 males and 52 females; mean age 51.0 years (range 30–69 years)] with cervical DDD, who underwent surgery and were followed for more than 2 years, were enrolled in this study and divided into the cage group and plate group. The study compared perioperative parameters, surgery-related and implant-related complication rates, clinical outcomes, and radiologic parameters. Results The clinical and radiologic results in both groups were satisfactory after a minimum 2-year follow-up. No significant differences between the cage group and plate group in terms of improvement in the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey, visual analogue scale, Neck Disability Index, Japanese Orthopedic Association scores, disc height, mean fusion time, fusion rate, adjacent segment degeneration, and restoration of cervical lordosis, but the cage group was associated with a lower risk of postoperative dysphagia, shorter operation time, less blood loss, less cost of index surgery, and relatively greater simplicity than the plate group. Conclusions The zero-profile, stand-alone Fidji cervical cage for ACDF is an effective, reliable, and safe alternate to the conventional method for the treatment of cervical DDD. However, there is no definitive evidence that Fidji cervical cage has better intermediate-term outcomes than the stand-alone cages with a titanium plate for ACDF.