Analysis on reasons of open operation after percutaneous vertebroplasty

Abstract

Objective To analyze reasons of open operation after percutaneous vertebroplasty.Methods From January 2008 to January 2012,516 patients (587 vertebrae) underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty in our hospital.Among them,13 patients occurred serious complications after operation:9 cases of spinal cord injury and 4 cases of nerve root injury.There were 5 males and 9 females,aged from 53 to 72 years (average,64.5 years).There were 10 cases of osteoporotic fracture,2 cases of vertebral metastases and 1 case of vertebral hemangioma.The lesion segments were as follows:T7 in 1 case,T8 in 1 case,T9 in 2 cases,T10 in 1 case,T11 in 1 case,T12 in 2 cases,L1 in 3 cases,L3 in 1 case and L4 in 1 case.According to the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) classification,9 patients with spinal cord injury were rated as follows:grade A in 2 cases,grade B in 1 case and grade C in 6 cases.Four patients with nerve root injury had skin hypesthesia,and the muscle strengths of them were grade Ⅱ.All patients underwent posterior open operation 4-12 h after definite diagnosis.Results Thirteen patients were followed up for 3 to 47 months (average,14.1 months).The reasons of open operation were as follows:bone cement leakage in 6 cases (46.2％,6/13),puncture failure in 3 cases (23.1％,3/13) and indication select error in 4 cases (30.8％,4/13).All 6 cases of bone cement leakage were non vascular leakage,including 2 cases of leakage into the spinal canal and 4 cases of leakage into the nerve root canal.At final follow up,the muscle strength was improved to grade V in 3 patients with nerve root injury and grade Ⅳ in remaining 1 patient.And skin sensation was also improved.The ASIA grade of 7 patients with spinal cord injury was improved:grade D in 4 cases and grade E in 3 cases.For remaining 2 patients,there was no change in ASIA grade.Conclusion The reasons of open operation after percutaneous vertebroplasty include bone cement leakage,puncture failure,and indication select error.And bone cement leakage is the most common. Key words: Surgical procedures, minimally invasive; Spinal cord injuries; Postoperative complications