Treatment: Vertebroplasty: Risks

The risks of the procedure are low. The complication rate associated with percutaneous vertebroplasty is 1-3% for treatment of osteoporotic fractures and 7-10% for treatment of malignant neoplasms. The majority of complications are transient and minor, and they include the following:

• Worsening of pain
• Neurologic problems such as weakness or pain in the legs
• The acrylic may extend into the epidural or paraspinous veins. Cement in the epidural venous plexus may lead to an ascending venous thrombosis or contribute to a spinal stenosis or cord or nerve root compression.
• Acrylic may extend from the paraspinous veins into the vena cava and may result in a pulmonary embolus.
• Rib or vertebral posterior element fractures
• Infection
• Allergic reaction to the injected material
• Spinal cord compression
• Hemorrhage
• Transient fever
• Nerve root irritation
• Cement embolization to the lungs via the paravertebral venous plexus
• Pneumothorax for thoracic lesions.

Permanent complications, including those requiring decompressive surgery to remove extruded cement or repair a fractured pedicle, occur at a rate of less than one percent.

Please Note: Vertebroplasty helps stabilize and strengthen the vertebral body, eliminate pain, and reduce the likelihood of repeat fractures, but it does not restore the shape or height of the compressed vertebra. It is also not intended for the treatment of intervertebral disc disease, arthritis, chronic back pain or herniated discs.

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