Article

Percutaneous vertebroplasty is used to manage osteoporotic vertebral body
compression fractures. Although it is relatively safe, complications after
vertebroplasty ranging from minor to devastatingly major ones have been
described. Cement leakage into the spinal canal is one such complication.
Subacute progressive ascending myelopathy is an infrequent neurologic
complication after spinal cord injury, typically presenting as ascending
neurologic deficit within weeks after the initial insult. The precise cause of
subacute progressive ascending myelopathy still remains an enigma, considering
the rarity of this disorder. The authors present the case of a 62-yr-old woman
with osteoporotic vertebral fracture who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty
and developed T6 complete paraplegia because of cement leakage. A few weeks
later, the neurologic level ascended to higher cervical level (C3). To date, no
case of subacute progressive ascending myelopathy secondary to cement leakage
after percutaneous vertebroplasty has been reported. Literature is reviewed
regarding subacute progressive ascending myelopathy, and the rehabilitation
challenges in the management of this patient are discussed.

Langue : ANGLAIS