Oral extrusion of a vertebral body replacement device after chordoma tumor growth and radiation: case report and review

Abstract

Background Screw migration following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion is a very rare complication and it is often related to device failure. Even more exceptional is the extrusion of an intervertebral graft. Case presentation We report the second case of migration and extrusion through the oral cavity of a cervical vertebral body replacement device (expandable cylinder) in a patient that had undergone cervical corpectomy due to a vertebral chordoma. Conclusion The antecedent of radiation therapy as well as progressive tumor re-growth may have favored the development of this complication. A literature review is added.