Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Late onset of pulmonary cement embolism after a regular vertebroplasy. A clinical documentation

  • Case Report
  • Published:
Central European Journal of Medicine

Abstract

Vertebroplasty is a new minimal-invasive procedure for the treatment of painful vertebral fractures. The risk of a pulmonary embolism ranges from 3.5 to 23% for osteoporotic fractures. However, data about the incidence and treatment strategies of pulmonary cement embolisms (PCE) are limited. We report a case of a patient with symptomatic pulmonary cement embolism after the vertebroplasty. The diagnosis was confirmed by means of CT- scan. In cases of asymptomatic patients with peripheral PCE we recommend no treatment besides clinical follow-up. In our case of symptomatic embolisms, we recommend to proceed according to the guidelines regarding the treatment of thrombotic pulmonary embolisms, which includes initial heparinization and a following 6-month coumarin therapy.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Kim YJ, Lee JW, Park KW, et al. Pulmonary cement embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty in osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: incidence, characteristics, and risk factors. Radiology. 2009;251:250–259

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Hodler J, Peck D, Gilula LA. Midterm outcome after vertebroplasty: predictive value of technical and patient-related factors. Radiology. 2003;227:662–668

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Caudana R, Renzi BL, Ventura L, Aitini E, Rozzanigo U, Barai G. CT-guided percutaneous vertebroplasty: personal experience in the treatment of osteoporotic fractures and dorsolumbar metastases. Radiol Med (Torino) 2008;113:114–133

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Krueger A, Bliemel C, Zettl R and Ruchholtz S. Management of pulmonary cement embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty: a systematic review of the literature Eur Spine J. 2009 September; 18(9): 1257–1265

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  5. Mousavi P, Roth S, Finkelstein J, Cheung G, Whyne C. Volumetric quantification of cement leakage following percutaneous vertebroplasty in metastatic and osteoporotic vertebrae. J Neurosurg. 2003;99:56–59

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. Phillips FM, Todd WF, Lieberman I, Campbell-Hupp M. An in vivo comparison of the potential for extravertebral cement leak after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Spine. 2002;27:2173–2178

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  7. Laredo JD, Hamze B. Complications of percutaneous vertebroplasty and their prevention. Semin Ultrasound CT MR. 2005;26:65–80

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Ratliff J, Nguyen T, Heiss J. Root and spinal cord compression from methylmethacrylate vertebroplasty. Spine. 2001;26:E300–E302

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Bernhard J, Heini PF, Villiger PM. Asymptomatic diffuse pulmonary embolism caused by acrylic cement: an unusual complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty. Ann Rheum Dis. 2003;62:85–86

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Padovani B, Kasriel O, Brunner P, Peretti-Viton P. Pulmonary embolism caused by acrylic cement: a rare complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 1999;20:375–377

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Tozzi P, Abdelmoumene Y, Corno AF, Gersbach PA, Hoogewoud HM, Segesser LK. Management of pulmonary embolism during acrylic vertebroplasty. Ann Thorac Surg. 2002;74:1706–1708

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Yoo KY, Jeong SW, Yoon W, Lee J. Acute respiratory distress syndrome associated with pulmonary cement embolism following percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmethacrylate. Spine. 2004;29:E294–E297

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Pulmonology, Klinik Schillerhoehe, Center for Pulmonology and Thoracic Surgery, Teaching Hospital of the University of Tuebingen, Solitude Str. 18, 70839, Stuttgart-Gerlingen, Germany

    Roger Fei. Falkenstern-Ge, Kim Husemann & Martin Kohlhäufl

Authors
  1. Roger Fei. Falkenstern-Ge
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Kim Husemann
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Martin Kohlhäufl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Roger Fei. Falkenstern-Ge.

About this article

Cite this article

Falkenstern-Ge, R.F., Husemann, K. & Kohlhäufl, M. Late onset of pulmonary cement embolism after a regular vertebroplasy. A clinical documentation. cent.eur.j.med 8, 662–664 (2013). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11536-013-0207-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11536-013-0207-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation