The strengthening effect of percutaneous vertebroplasty.
OBJECTIVE
To examine whether single-needle vertebroplasty is effective in strengthening vertebrae.


METHODS
Four adjacent intact lumbar vertebrae were removed from each of nine adult post-mortem subjects. One or two vertebra of each set was injected with low viscosity acrylic bone cement using a single-track posterolateral approach. Vertebral strength was measured during constant rate axial compression.


RESULTS
Single-needle injection delivered different quantities of cement (1-8 ml) in an asymmetric distribution. Injected vertebrae were stronger than controls in 10 out of 12 cases (P < 0.01), suggesting that cement injection increases the load needed to cause initial vertebral fracture. Compression was continued past the point of initial failure, to simulate progressive vertebral collapse. Injected specimens were more resistant to deformation than control specimens (P < 0.05), most of which initially deformed with little increase in load.


CONCLUSIONS
Single-track injection of bone cement appeared to strengthen vertebrae against both initial failure and subsequent collapse. The magnitude of strength increase from vertebroplasty was variable, and did not correlate with the volume of cement injected. Further investigation is needed to optimize the technique.Gishen, P. (2000). Clinical Radiology55, 471-476.
Dean
J R
JR
Department of Radiology, South Cleveland Hospital, UK.
Ison
K T
KT
Gishen
P
P
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D001843:Bone Cements / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D019245:Compressive Strength / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011859:Radiography; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
D001843:Bone Cements; D019904:Polymethyl Methacrylate