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Polymethylmethacrylate Entrapped in Inferior Vena Cava Filter After a Scheuermann Kyphosis Revision Surgery
Charles Edwards1, Alexis Blight1, Kak Kim2
1The Maryland Spine Center, Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.
Study Design:
Case report.
Objectives:
To review and expose the rare occurrence of prophylactic polymethylmethacrylate becoming trapped in an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter following lumbar spine revision surgery in a patient with Scheuermann's kyphosis.
Methods:
Intraoperative reports, progress notes, and imaging were reviewed for a patient who underwent an initial surgery for Scheuermann's kyphosis correction, a subsequent revision surgery for a fracture sustained during the post-operative period, and an IVC filter removal procedure.
Results:
The medical reports and imaging revealed the prophylactic cement used in the revision surgery migrated through the vertebral bodies, into a paravertebral vein, and became trapped in the IVC filter subsequently complicating its removal.
Conclusions:
An IVC filter can prevent serious pulmonary and cardiovascular complications arising from prophylactic cement leakage out of the vertebral bodies into the venous system following its use in a revision surgery for kyphosis correction.
