Novel Polyethylene Terephthalate Screw Sleeve Implant: Salvage Treatment in a Case of Spine Instability after Vertebroplasty Failure

Abstract

Introduction: The management of osteoporotic fractures is sometimes rather challenging for spinal surgeons, and considering the longer life expectancy induced by improved living conditions, their prevalence is expected to increase. At present, the approaches to osteoporotic fractures differ depending on their severity, location, and the patient’s age. State-of-the-art treatments range from vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty to hardware-based spinal stabilization in which screw augmentation with cement is the gold standard. Case presentation: We describe the case of a 74-year-old man with an L5 osteoporotic fracture. The patient underwent a vertebroplasty (VP) procedure, which was complicated by a symptomatic cement leakage in the right L4–L5 neuroforamen. We urgently decompressed the affected pedicle via hemilaminectomy. At that point, the column required stability. The extravasation of cement had ruled out the use of cement-augmented pedicle screws but leaving the pedicular screws alone was not considered sufficient to achieve stability. We decided to cover the screws with a polyethylene terephthalate sleeve (OGmend®) to avoid additional cement leakage and to reinforce the screw strength required by the poor bone quality. Conclusion: In the evolving technologies used for spinal surgery, screws sleeve implants such as OGmend® are a useful addition to the surgeon’s armamentarium when an increased pull-out strength is required and other options are not available.

Keywords

• vertebroplasty
• spine
• screws
• PMMA
• complications