Interdisciplinary Neurosurgery (Mar 2019)

A “home made” titanium telescopic mesh for an emergent multilevel cervical corpectomy: A case example of surgical preparedness

  • Leonello Tacconi, MD, FRCS Ed (SN),
  • Roberto Spinelli, MD

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 15
pp. 86 – 88

Abstract

Read online

We present the case of a 49 years old man operated as emergency for cervical spinal cord compression for a Pott disease. We had planned a limited anterior cervical decompression with plating and a second stage posterior decompression and stabilization, a few days after the first operation in case of residual compression. Unfortunately, because of the extensive and consistency of dural compression we ended up in removing 4 vertebral bodies. We did not have, in house, a such long cage and plate for the reconstruction. We managed to achieve a good fixation making a “home made” titanium telescopic mesh as well as building a long plate too. The patient did extremely well with a prompt resolution of the neurological deficits. We describe how we manage to solve this problem stressing, in the same time, the importance of a careful plan, when possible, for such difficult cases. Keywords: Vertebrectomy, Pott disease, Mesh, Cage