Delayed neurologic complications of vertebral bone cement injections.

摘要

Minimally invasive techniques have changed many surgical paradigms. In some instances, they have enabled surgeons to perform procedures that would otherwise be impossible. Elsewhere, they have minimized potential morbidity. In the field of neurological surgery, deep brain stimulation would fit in the former category and endovascular treatment of cerebral aneurysms the latter. Reinforcement of pathological fractures of the vertebral axis, usually with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) injection, provides instant fixation of unstable and painful fractures and is usually well tolerated by patients. This technique, performed either as vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, affords both of the aforementioned advantages and has therefore been a welcome addition to the surgical armamentarium.