Percutaneous vertebroplasty: a special syringe for cement injection

Area of Science:

• Interventional Radiology
• Orthopedic Surgery
• Biomaterials Science

Background:

• Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a common treatment for vertebral lesions.
• Handling viscous methyl methacrylate cement presents challenges due to short injection times and difficult manipulation with conventional syringes.
• Current methods can lead to operator fumbling and suboptimal cement delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a novel screw-system syringe designed to improve methyl methacrylate cement delivery during percutaneous vertebroplasty.
• To assess the efficacy of the screw-system syringe in reducing handling difficulty and enhancing control over cement injection.
• To standardize injection pressures and control delivered volume in percutaneous vertebroplasty procedures.

Main Methods:

• Development of a specialized screw-system syringe for cement injection.
• Comparison of cement injection using the novel screw-system syringe versus conventional methods.
• Evaluation of ease of handling, injection time, pressure standardization, and volume control.

Main Results:

• The screw-system syringe significantly decreases the effort required for methyl methacrylate cement injection.
• The device allows for standardization of injection pressures.
• Greater control over the injected volume is achieved compared to conventional syringe methods.
• Reduced fumbling and improved procedural efficiency were observed.

Conclusions:

• The novel screw-system syringe offers a significant improvement for percutaneous vertebroplasty procedures.
• This device enhances operator control, simplifies cement handling, and standardizes delivery parameters.
• It represents a valuable advancement in the treatment of focal vertebral lesions using methyl methacrylate cement.