Infected vertebroplasty requiring 360 degrees spinal reconstruction: long-term follow-up review. Report of two cases.

Transpedicular vertebroplasty has been established as a safe and effective treatment of thoracic and lumbar compression fractures. Complications are rare, and infectious complications requiring surgical management have only been reported once in the literature. The authors present two cases of infectious complications requiring surgical management. They emphasize that systemic infection is a contraindication to the performance of vertebroplasty. The serious nature of these infections, their surgical management, and strategies for avoiding them are discussed.