Abstract

VARGAS RODRIGUEZ, Ledmar Jovanny; AGUDELO SANABRIA, Milena Brigitte  and  ROZO ORTIZ, Edward Jassir. Pulmonary embolism due to methyl acrylate. Rev. Colomb. Cardiol. [online]. 2018, vol.25, n.5, pp.341-341. ISSN 0120-5633.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rccar.2017.08.015.

Vertebroplasty is a therapeutic procedure that is used to repair spinal lesions. For its part, methyl acrylate is a bone cement that is injected into the spongy bone of the vertebral body during this procedure. The case is presented of a 59 year-old woman with a history of a lumbar arthrodesis, who consulted due stabbing-type lower back pain, after a fall from her own height. On physical examination, she had pain in the thoracic region with no clinical signs of radiculopathy, and impossibility for movement. The imaging studies reported a fracture due to wedging of vertebral bodies T12-L1. A change was made in the arthrodesis material, which required the additional use of methyl acrylate to fix the cannulated screws. Two hours after the surgical procedure, she referred to chest pain, dyspnoea and tachypnoea, for which further studies were requested. Due to the findings in the chest x-ray, a pulmonary embolism induced by methyl acrylate was suspected, for which a computed tomography scan of the chest was requested. She was transferred to the Intensive Care Unit. After 72 hours of admission there, an echocardiogram was performed that showed dilated right cavities, hypokinesis of the right ventricle with systolic dysfunction, tricuspid insufficiency, and moderate pulmonary hypertension. Thromboprophylaxis was prescribed for three months and follow-up by the Internal Medicine and Neurosurgery departments.

Keywords : Methyl methacrylate; Pulmonary embolism; Vertebroplasty; Pulmonary hypertension.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )