OUR APPLICATIONS OF PERCUTANEOUS VERTEBROPLASTY IN VERTEBRA PLANA TYPE COMPRESSION FRACTURES ASSOCIATED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS

T he indication area of percutaneous vertebroplasty, which was first applied successfully for the management of aggressive vertebral hemangioma in 1987 in France, has grown in the years. One of these indications is osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Osteoporosis, common amongst elderly patients causes significant compression fractures. Most of the fractures that do not cause pressure on the spinal canal are successfully treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty. However most authors, claiming that in cases of severe vertebral compression fracture ( vertebra plana) associated with osteoporosis, cement leakage developing due to technical difficulties may cause dangerous complications such as emboli, death and disability, asserted that the application of percutaneous vertebroplasty is contraindicated. This study, presenting successful percutaneous vertebroplasty in two patients with the vertebra plana type compression fracture associated with osteoporosis, underlines that as long as it is performed meticulously, the complication risk in percutaneous vertebroplasty is very low.