Background: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is the most common treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. However, the morbidity of vertebroplasty-related complications, such as cement leakage, remains high. We tested a new technique of unilateral pulsed jet lavage and investigated its effect on the intravertebral pressure and bone cement distribution.Methods: Thirty lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5) from six cadaver spines were randomly allocated into two groups (with and without irrigation). Prior to vertebroplasty, pulsed jet lavage was performed through one side of the pedicle by using a novel cannula with two concentric conduits to remove the fat and bone marrow of the vertebral bodies in the group with irrigation. The control group was not irrigated. Then, standardized vertebroplasty was performed in the vertebral bodies in both groups. Changes in the intravertebral pressure during injection were recorded. Computed tomography (CT) was performed to observe the cement distribution and extravasations, and the cement mass volume (CMV) was calculated. Results: During cement injection, the average maximum intravertebral pressure of the unirrigated group was higher than that of the irrigated group (4.92kPa versus 2.22kPa, P<0.05). CT scans showed a more homogeneous cement distribution with less CMV (3832 mm3 vs. 4344 mm3, P<0.05) and less leakage rate (6.7% vs. 46.7%, P<0.05) in the irrigated group than in the control group. Conclusions: Unilateral pulsed jet lavage can reduce intravertebral pressure and lower the incidence of cement leakage during vertebroplasty. An enhanced bone cement distribution can also be achieved through this lavage system.

Background: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is the most common treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture. However, the morbidity of vertebroplasty-related complications, such as cement leakage, remains high. We tested a new technique of unilateral pulsed jet lavage and investigated its effect on the intravertebral pressure and bone cement distribution.Methods: Thirty lumbar vertebrae (L1-L5) from six cadaver spines were randomly allocated into two groups (with and without irrigation). Prior to vertebroplasty, pulsed jet lavage was performed through one side of the pedicle by using a novel cannula with two concentric conduits to remove the fat and bone marrow of the vertebral bodies in the group with irrigation. The control group was not irrigated.Then, standardized vertebroplasty was performed in the vertebral bodies in both groups. Changes in the intravertebral pressure during injection were recorded. Computed tomography (CT) was performed to observe the cement distribution and extravasations, and the cement mass volume (CMV) was calculated.Results: During cement injection, the average maximum intravertebral pressure of the unirrigated group was higher than that of the irrigated group (4.92kPa versus 2.22kPa, P<0.05). CT scans showed a more homogeneous cement distribution with less CMV (3832 mm 3 vs. 4344 mm 3 , P<0.05) and less leakage rate (6.7% vs. 46.7%, P<0.05) in the irrigated group than in the control group.Conclusions: Unilateral pulsed jet lavage can reduce intravertebral pressure and lower the incidence of cement leakage during vertebroplasty. An enhanced bone cement distribution can also be achieved through this lavage system. BackgroundPercutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) is effective in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. These techniques can provide instant pain relief [1][2][3] and stabilize vertebral fracture [3][4][5] . However, leakage during PVP or PKP remains a concern among surgeons. Some studies have shown that intravertebral lavage prior to cement injection can effectively remove vertebral fat and bone marrow and reduce the morbidity of extravasation [6,7] .Previously reported lavage methods involved bilateral operation [8,9,10] , but unilateral pulsed jet *Significant difference Leakage rateCement leakage was evaluated on the basis of the CT images. Cement leakage occurred in one (6.7%) of the irrigated specimens and in seven (46.7%) of the unirrigated ones (Table 1). Cement distributionCT images showed the distinct distributions of cement in the two groups. The bone cement mass was homogeneous and had more uniform density in the irrigated group than in the unirrigated group. The cement distribution of the unirrigated vertebrae was more irregular than that of the irrigated group (Fig.2). CMVThe Mann-Whitney U test results revealed smaller CMV in the irrigated group than in the unirrigated JY performed the experiments and participated in the design of the study. QL performed the experiments and wrote the manuscript. ZL, ...