title: Mismatched perfusion defects secondary to recent methyl methacrylate embolization.
abstract: Methyl methacrylate (MMA) pulmonary embolism is a serious potential complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty. We present a case of a 28-year-old man who presented to an outside institution with pleuritic chest pain after MMA vertebroplasty of the T11 thoracic vertebra for chronic back ache secondary to a previous traumatic fracture. Multifocal MMA pulmonary embolism was identified on CT. The patient was referred to our institution following a wedge resection for pulmonary infarction. V/Q scintigraphy was performed and demonstrated normal ventilation with multiple mismatched perfusion defects bilaterally. Patient subsequently underwent central and bilateral segmental pulmonary embolectomies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nuclear Medicine, Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA.
authors.forename: Garima
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Agrawal
authors.forename: Chadwick L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Nicholas G
authors.initials: NG
authors.lastname: Rhodes
authors.forename: Akash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sharma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008168:Lung / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D020366:Methylmethacrylate / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010477:Perfusion; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014691:Ventilation
chemical_list: D020366:Methylmethacrylate