A case report of intracardiac cement embolism after percutaneous kyphoplasty

Leakage of bone cement is a common complication after percutaneous kyphoplasty, and this complication has a wide time window: symptoms may appear immediately after surgery, or develop days, months, or even years later. Although intracardiac cement embolism is extremely rare, reporting such cases can provide reference for similar clinical cases in the future. A 68-year-old female patient developed abdominal distension, chest tightness and dyspnea 5 days after undergoing percutaneous kyphoplasty. Comprehensive analysis of preoperative and postoperative imaging indicated that these symptoms were possibly related to bone cement leakage from the 7th thoracic vertebra (T7), which occurred after the patient received surgery at another hospital three months prior, although a definitive causal relationship could not be established based on the available evidence. The patient was immediately transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for symptomatic supportive treatment. After receiving treatment in the ICU, her symptoms resolved, but she declined the recommendation for further surgery. At the 3-month and 6-month follow-up appointments after discharge, the patient had returned to normal life and reported no subjective discomfort. This case highlights the risk of bone cement-induced cardiac embolism after PKP, and suggests that routine chest X-ray examination should be performed, with further echocardiography and chest CT examinations arranged when necessary. This approach can help identify asymptomatic patients with pulmonary or intracardiac cement embolism, and thus prevent the development of severe cardiopulmonary failure.