Experiences with PMMA cement as a stand-alone intervertebral spacer

The treatment of symptomatic degenerative disc disease of the lumbar spine in elderly patients by standard surgical methods is often limited due to severe comorbidities (e.g., cardiopulmonary disease, hypertonia, diabetes). Minimally invasive procedures are more acceptable in this population, since they reduce surgical morbidity and the risk of complications. The percutaneous cement discoplasty (PCD) technique was introduced by the authors to treat dynamic (and angular) instability of the symptomatic lumbar segment by injecting bone cement (polymethylmethacrylate, PMMA) into the disc spaces showing vacuum phenomena via a posterolaterally positioned Jamshidi needle. The aim of this article is to describe the indication, method, and clinical results of PCD. A total of 81 patients were treated with PCD in a tertiary care referral center over a 6-year period. The current study includes the first group of 47 consecutive patients to complete a pre- and postoperative questionnaire booklet regarding leg and back pain using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oswestry disability index (ODI) questionnaire. A total of 130 discs in these 47 patients were treated with PCD. The majority of patients reported a reduction in their lower back and leg pain (69 % and 66 %, respectively; p < 0.02) postoperatively. At 6-month follow-up, 61 % of patients had a minimum 10-point reduction in their ODI scores (p < 0.01). Elderly patients with symptomatic dynamic foraminal stenosis and vacuum phenomenon in the intervertebral disc are suitable candidates for PCD, particularly if they represent high-risk patients for open surgery.