Introduction: Vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty are common procedures used to treat vertebral compression fractures. The most common precipitating factor is osteoporosis, although there are other causes such as trauma, spinal tumors, etc. These procedures utilize fluoroscopy by inserting a trocar into the pathological vertebra. Once the trocar is in place, bone cement is then inserted into the vertebra in a vertebroplasty to help stabilize the fracture. In a kyphoplasty, a balloon is inserted after the trocar and is slowly inflated to correct the collapsed vertebra before injecting the cement. These procedures are commonly performed in an outpatient setting and generally yield good outcomes with minimal complications. However, in this study we take a deeper dive into the post-procedural outcomes of vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty.
Methods: In this cohort study, we collected and analyzed data from the National Surgical Quality Improvement Project (NSQIP) to follow the post-procedural outcomes of 4,145 patients who underwent vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty for 11 years (2010-2020). The number and type of complications, as well as reoperations from 2011-2020 (4,117 patients), were trended to assess post-procedural outcomes. Complications include: surgical site infection, wound disruption, pneumonia, unplanned intubation, pulmonary embolism, renal insufficiency, renal failure, ventilation, urinary tract infection, myocardial infarction, deep vein thrombosis, sepsis, septic shock, and return to the operating room. The year 2010 was not used in these trends due to small sample size.
Results:From 2011-2020, there was an uptrend of +0.27% per year in the proportion of reoperations (p=0.036). Simultaneously, there was an uptrend of +1.11% per year in the proportion of any complication due to vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty (p
Conclusion: Our analysis demonstrates the increase of reoperations and complications following vertebroplasty/kyphoplasty from 2011-2020. These outcomes may be useful for future procedures by helping drive more detailed pre-procedural screenings, follow-up care, and staff readiness of possible peri-operative complications.