title: The Effectiveness of Gelfoam Technique before Percutaneous Vertebroplasy: Is It Helpful for Prevention of Cement Leakage? A Prospective Randomized Control Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Preinjection gelfoam embolization during percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) has been thought alternative technique to prevent the leakage of bone cement. The goal of this study was to evaluate whether the gelfoam techniques are useful to reduce bone cement leakage.
  
  
  METHODS
  Total 100 PVPs of osteoporotic spine compression fractures were performed by 1 spine surgeon who experienced more than 500 PVP cases under prospective control study. Operation was done in T-L junction (T10-L2) fractures with bi-transpedicular approach. Preinjection gelfoam PVP was done in the 50 levels. As control group, PVP without gelfoam was done in the 50 levels. We did not perform preoperative venography. We inserted normal saline-mixed gelfoam to the anterior third of vertebral body via PVP needle, and then 3mL of polymethylmetacrylate (PMMA) was injected. We prospectively evaluated the incidence and leakage pattern of PMMA by postoperative computed tomography.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between gelfoam and control groups, there were 11 leaks (22%) versus 12 leaks (26%). The mean operation time was 7.00 minutes versus 6.30 minutes. In gelfoam group, there were 6 spinal canal leaks, 4 paravertebral venous leaks, and 1 soft tissue leaks. In control group, there were 4 spinal canal leaks, 8 paravertebral venous leaks, and 1 disc space leak. In spite of cement leakage, there was no symptomatic case in both groups. Statistically, gelfoam technique was not related to decrease the incidence of leakage (p=0.64).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our prospective study showed that it did not significantly decrease cement leakage when vertebroplasty is performed by experienced spine surgeon.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Sang
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jae-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Doh
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Jai-Joon
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Kyeong-Seok
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Seok-Mann
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.
authors.forename: Hack-Gun
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Bae
keywords: Gelfoam; Osteoporotic fracture; Spine fractures; Vertebroplasty