Impact of Expandable versus Static Interbody Cages on Subsidence and Outcomes in Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Mahmoud Shehniamirkhan, Abolfazl Paeinmahali, Sadegh Bagherzadeh, Negin Safari-Dehnavi, Faramarz Roohollahi, Patrick Kim, Puya Alikhani, Mohsen Rostami · 2026
Read Impact of Expandable versus Static Interbody Cages on Subsidence and Outcomes in Minimally Invasive Transforaminal Lumbar Interbody Fusion: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis by Mahmoud Shehniamirkhan, Abolfazl Paeinmahali, Sadegh Bagherzadeh, Negin Safari-Dehnavi, Faramarz Roohollahi, Patrick Kim, Puya Alikhani, Mohsen Rostami (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13275506.txt.
Description
Mahmoud Shehniamirkhan and colleagues present a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis comparing expandable and fixed-size spacer cages in minimally invasive spinal fusion. In this back operation, a cage props open the disc space while bone grows across. Expandable cages are inserted small, then opened in place, promising a better fit.
Twenty-three studies covering 1,838 patients and 2,074 fused levels were pooled. Expandable cages sank into the bone less often, with subsidence in 12.8 percent versus 25.7 percent for static cages, though when sinking happened its depth was similar. Pain and disability gains were comparable between designs. Only three studies compared the cages head to head, so the authors warn against reading the gap as proven cause and effect.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Mahmoud Shehniamirkhan, Abolfazl Paeinmahali, Sadegh Bagherzadeh, Negin Safari-Dehnavi, Faramarz Roohollahi, Patrick Kim, Puya Alikhani, Mohsen Rostami |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 40902 |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |