Key result
Balloon-assisted tri-lobe snaring successfully extracts intracardiac cement embolism percutaneously.
Why the study?
Intracardiac cement embolism is a rare, potentially life-threatening complication following percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmethacrylate cement.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Demonstrates that percutaneous retrieval using a three-lobed snare with balloon assist can be a safe and effective alternative to open surgery for removing intracardiac cement emboli following vertebroplasty.
May offer percutaneous alternative to surgery in select cement embolism cases; leaves open generalizability and safety in larger cohorts.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure injecting polymethylmethacrylate cement to increase vertebral stability in vertebral compression fractures. We present a patient who presented with recurrent pulmonary embolism due to intracardiac cement embolism after vertebroplasty with successful percutaneous cement removal. A 72-year-old woman presented with chest pain, dyspnea, hypotension, and atrial fibrillation 1 month after vertebroplasty. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a freely mobile hyperechoic linear structure in the right atrium; estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure was 45 mmHg. Computed tomography angiography demonstrated a cement cast extending from L2 vertebra through the inferior vena cava into the right atrium and cement emboli in distal pulmonary arterial branches. Intracardiac cement was successfully removed using a three-lobed snare with balloon assist. Intracardiac cement embolism is a rare, potentially life-threatening complication following vertebroplasty. Percutaneous removal may be considered a safe and effective alternative to open surgery in selected patients.
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Gülaştı et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Recurrent pulmonary embolism due to intracardiac cement embolism after percutaneous vertebroplasty (n=1). Percutaneous cement removal using a three-lobed snare with balloon assist was evaluated on Successful percutaneous removal of intracardiac cement. Percutaneous removal using a three-lobed snare with balloon assist successfully extracted an intracardiac cement cast in a 72-year-old woman with pulmonary embolism (PASP 45 mmHg).
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