L1 Kyphoplasty Following Unusual Fracture Through Osteoporotic Bone Containing PMMA: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND

Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive percutaneous procedure performed to restore vertebral body height related to compression fractures and subsequent associated morbidity.

CASE REPORT: We describe the case of a 76-year-old man with numerous medical comorbidities who had previously undergone kyphoplasty with an unusual transverse fracture through the L1 vertebral body containing polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), resulting in linear cleavage of the cement.

CONCLUSION

Although more data is needed to fully understand the mechanics of this PMMA fracture, we hypothesize this was likely due to a translation of forces from a paraspinal osteophyte, resulting in a rotation/distraction-type fracture and subsequent breakage of the cement.