Temperature Measurement During Polymerization of Bone Cement in Percutaneous Vertebroplasty: An In Vivo Study in Humans

Aim of the study was to “in vivo” measure temperature, during percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV), within a vertebral body injected with different bone cements. According to the declaration of Helsinki, 22 women (60–80 years; mean, 75 years) with painful osteoporotic vertebral collapse underwent bilateral transpedicular PV on 22 lumbar vertebrae. Two 10-G vertebroplasty needles were introduced into the vertebra under digital fluoroscopy; a 16-G radiofrequency thermoablation needle (Starburst XL; RITA Medical System Inc., USA), carrying five thermocouples, was than coaxially inserted. Eleven different bone cements were injected and temperatures were measured every 30 s until temperatures dropped under 45°C. After the thermocouple needle was withdrawn, bilateral PV was completed with cement injection through the vertebroplasty needle. Unpaired Student’s t -tests, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Wilcoxon signed rank test were used to evaluate significant differences ( p