Cement leakage and complication of liposarcoma spinal metastasis during vertebral augmentation procedure: a case report

BACKGROUND Liposarcoma is a malignant tumor of soft tissue. Myxoid/round cell liposarcoma has a tendency to spread to extrapulmonary sites but the spine is an unusual location even for metastasis. Metastatic bone tumors in the spine are painful. The vertebral body augmentation procedures for treating painful metastatic spinal lesions are minimally invasive and are good alternatives to open surgery. CASE PRESENTATION A 41-year-old Turkish man was treated with radiofrequency tumor ablation and percutaneous vertebral augmentation for spinal metastasis. Asymptomatic perivertebral and segmental veins' cement leakage was detected on perioperative X-ray radiograms; at the follow-up computed tomography scan, no further migration of any cement material was seen, and his postoperative course was uneventful. CONCLUSIONS The risk of cement leakage and embolism is increased with the treatment of some malignant lesions. The frequency of local leakage of bone cement is relatively high. Patients undergoing percutaneous vertebral augmentation of malignant spinal metastases need close monitoring. There is no agreement on the treatment strategy.