Gallo Jirí, Florschutz Anthony V
Department of Orthopaedics, Teaching Hospital, Palacký University, I.P. Pavlova 6, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub. 2005 Dec;149(2):281-4. doi: 10.5507/bp.2005.042.
In this report, we present the case of a 64-year-old woman who sustained a Burch-Schneider cage fracture. Prior to this event, she underwent repeated acetabular reconstructions, but in the end prosthesis removal was performed as a salvage procedure. We believe that the primary cause of the fracture was metal fatigue facilitated by intraoperative re-contouring of the flange, as well as reuse of the cage. Based on this case we caution against repetitive or excessive flange bending during implantation of Burch-Schneider cages and do not recommend their reuse.