Cement Leakage after Augmentation of Osteoporotic Vertebral Bodies.

Cement leakage is the most common complication of vertebral cement augmentation. The present study investigated cement leakage rates in spinal cement augmentation procedures and identified potential risk factors for cement leakage.140 cases (258 vertebrae) in 131 consecutive patients and nine postmortem cases were evaluated. A total of 258 cement-augmented vertebrae were studied. The data for this were obtained from the hospital records of 131 patients who underwent such operations in 2 orthopaedic trauma surgery clinics in the FRG and from the examinations of 9 postmortem cases at the Institute of Forensic Medicine of the University Medical Centre Hamburg-Eppendorf.Cement leaks were identified in 64 of the 140 cases (45.7%). Local cement leaks were the most common type of leak, accounting for 73.4% of leaks (n = 47). Venous leaks were evaluated in 15 cases (23.4%) and pulmonary embolisations in 2 cases (3.1%). Within the group of retrospectively studied cases (n = 131), only one patient (0.8%) suffered a symptomatic cement leak. Cement augmentation of fractures to lumbar vertebrae and application of large doses of cement were identified as risk factors for cement leakage.Both the data in the literature relevant to the topic and the results of this work demonstrate a high incidence of cement leakage after vertebral body augmentation procedures. Risk factors for cement leakage are described. Despite the low percentage of symptomatic cases, the possible factors influencing cement leakage should be considered and included in the surgical planning when planning and performing cement augmentations on vertebral bodies.