Case Report Polymethylmethacrylate Entrapped in Inferior Vena Cava Filter After a Scheuermann Kyphosis Revision Surgery

Study Design: Case report. Objectives: To review and expose the rare occurrence of prophylactic polymethylmethacrylate becoming trapped in an inferior vena cava (IVC) filter following lumbar spine revision surgery in a patient with Scheuermann’s kyphosis. Methods: Intraoperative reports, progress notes, and imaging were reviewed for a patient who underwent an initial surgery for Scheuermann’s kyphosis correction, a subsequent revision surgery for a fracture sustained during the post-operative period, and an IVC filter removal procedure. Results: The medical reports and imaging revealed the prophylactic cement used in the revision surgery migrated through the vertebral bodies, into a paravertebral vein, and became trapped in the IVC filter subsequently complicating its removal. Conclusions: An IVC filter can prevent serious pulmonary and cardiovascular complications arising from prophylactic cement leakage out of the vertebral bodies into the venous system following its use in a revision surgery for kyphosis correction. 2015 Scoliosis Research Society.