BACKGROUND: Because of the aging of the American population, osteoporotic vertebral fractures are becoming a common problem in the elderly. Minimally invasive percutaneous vertebral augmentation techniques have gained a great deal of importance in relieving the pain associated with these fractures, and are becoming the standard of care. METHODS: These procedures involve the injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) into the vertebral body. However, these techniques have their complications, and among these, pulmonary embolism is one of the most feared. It is attributable to the passage of cement into the pulmonary vasculature. After encountering a case of PMMA embolism in our practice, we decided to highlight this topic and discuss the incidence, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of cement pulmonary embolisms.
BACKGROUND: Because of the aging of the American population, osteoporotic vertebral fractures are becoming a common problem in the elderly. Minimally invasive percutaneous vertebral augmentation techniques have gained a great deal of importance in relieving the pain associated with these fractures, and are becoming the standard of care. METHODS: These procedures involve the injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) into the vertebral body. However, these techniques have their complications, and among these, pulmonary embolism is one of the most feared. It is attributable to the passage of cement into the pulmonary vasculature. After encountering a case of PMMAembolism in our practice, we decided to highlight this topic and discuss the incidence, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of cement pulmonary embolisms.
Authors: Rocio Angulo Llanos; Ana Viana-Tejedor; Hugo Rodriguez Abella; Francisco Fernandez-Avilés Journal: Clin Res Cardiol Date: 2013-02-06 Impact factor: 5.460
Authors: Marcus A Rothermich; Jacob M Buchowski; David B Bumpass; G Alexander Patterson Journal: Clin Orthop Relat Res Date: 2014-02-15 Impact factor: 4.176