title: Pulmonary embolism with vertebral augmentation procedures.
abstract: With the prevalence of an aging American population on the rise, osteoporotic vertebral fractures are becoming a common occurrence, resulting in an increase in vertebral augmentation procedures and associated complications such as cement leakage, vertebral compressions, and pulmonary embolism. We describe a patient who presented with respiratory distress three years following kyphoplasty of the lumbar vertebra. Computed tomography (CT) angiogram of the chest confirmed the presence of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement in the lung fields and pulmonary vessels. We conducted a systematic review of the published literature identifying effective management strategies for the treatment of vertebroplasty-associated pulmonary embolism.
authors.affiliation: Pulmonary, Critical Care & Sleep Section, Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
authors.forename: Swetha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Bopparaju
authors.affiliation: Critical Care Services, University General Hospital, Houston, TX 77054, USA ; Acute and Continuing Care, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, USA ; The University of Texas Medical Branch, Houston, TX, USA.
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Varon
authors.affiliation: Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, 1177 West Wheeler Avenue, Suite 1, Aransas Pass, TX 78366, USA.
authors.forename: Salim
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Surani