JOURNAL OF CLINICAL AND DIAGNOSTIC RESEARCH, cilt.15, sa.3, ss.1-4, 2021 (ESCI)
Introduction: Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP) is a procedure
frequently performed to obtain pain relief and mechanical
strengthening of the collapsed vertebral body which may be
caused by variant reasons.
Aim: To assess frequent complications commonly encountered
during vertebroplasty procedure.
Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted
on 1375 patients followed from January 2005 and June 2012 in
Department of Neurosurgery, faculty of medicine, Dokuz Eylül
University. Severe vertebral fracture collapse (vertebra plana),
vertebral metastasis, quadriplegic patients and bed-ridden
patients were excluded from this study, whereas active mobile
patients without associated severe co-morbidities were included
in the study. Pain, pattern of cement leakage and associated
complications had been assessed.
Results: Total 601 patients who fullfilled the inclusion criteria
{244 (40.5%) males, 357 (59.5%) females}, average age was
63.04±7.4 (range 34 to 90) years, had undergone the PVP
procedure. Mean preoperative Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
was 8.51±1.5, whereas after one and six months, the mean
postoperative VAS were 1.94±1.0 and 2.53±2.2, respectively.
Central spinal canal leakage has been observed in four
cases. Three patients had developed transient monoparesis
and radiculopathy symptoms. Whereas, the fourth patient
developed paraplegia. Cement leakage had been tolerated
well by one patient, where symptomatic resolution occurred
within one month. However, decompressive foraminotomy
had been performed for two patients on the 24th and 38th
days postoperatively due to intractable radicular pain.
Immediate total laminectomy and decompression surgery
had been performed for removal of the cement leakage to the
spinal canal for the patient who developed total paraplegia.
Asymptomatic leakage had been recognised beneath the
posterior longitudinal ligament in 42 patients (6.9%), beneath
the anterior longitudinal ligament in 18 patients (2.9%)
and into disc space in 31 patients (5.1%). Venous leakage
occurred in four patients (0.6%) and was asymptomatic in
all of them.
Conclusion: Vertebroplasty should be performed in a fully
equipped operation theater in order to be able to revert quickly to
open surgery in case of cement leakage into the spinal canal.