Percutaneous augmented instrumentation of unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures: Our experience in preventing cement leakage

摘要

It was with great interest that we read the article by N. Rahamimov et al., "Percutaneous augmented instrumentation of unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures," published in the 2011 December issue of European Spine Journal 1. This is a well-prepared article, which introduces a novel approach, combining percutaneous posterior short-segment pedicle screw augmentation with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and fractured vertebra kyphoplasty to treat unstable thoracolumbar burst fractures. The kyphoplasty mentioned in the article yielded a high ratio of cement leakage (52/52) mainly through fracture line or segmental veins and caused three cases of PMMA pulmonary emb