Fenestrated pedicle screws for thoracolumbar instrumentation in patients with poor bone quality: Case series and systematic review of the literature

To describe the results of a single-surgeon series and systematically review the literature on cement-augmented instrumented fusion with fenestrated pedicle screws. All patients treated by the senior surgeon using fenestrated screws between 2017 and 2019 with a minimum of 6-months of clinical and radiographic follow-up were included. For the systematic review, we used PRISMA guidelines to identify all prior descriptions of cement-augmented instrumented fusion with fenestrated pedicle screws in the English literature. Endpoints of interest included hardware loosening, cement leakage, and pulmonary cement embolism (PCE). Our series included 38 patients (mean follow-up 14.8 months) who underwent cement-augmented instrumentation for tumor (47.3%), deformity/degenerative disease (39.5%), or osteoporotic fracture (13.2%). Asymptomatic screw lucency was seen in 2.6%, cement leakage in 445, and pulmonary cement embolism (PCE) in 5.2%. Our literature review identified 23 studies (n = 1526 patients), with low reported rates of hardware loosening (0.2%) and symptomatic PCE (1.0%). Cement leakage, while common (55.6%), produced symptoms in fewer than 1% of patients. Indications for cement-augmentation in this cohort included: spine metastasis with or without pathologic fracture (n = 18; 47.3%), degenerative spine disease or fixed deformity with poor underlying bone quality (n = 15; 39.5%), and osteoporotic fracture (n = 5; 13.2%). Cement-augmented fusion with fenestrated screws appears to be a safe, effective means of treating patients with poor underlying bone quality secondary to tumor or osteoporosis. High-quality evidence with direct comparisons to non-augmented patients is needed. •Cement leakage occurs in 21–59% of cases using fenestrated screw vertebroplasty.•Cement pulmonary embolisms following fenestrated screw vertebroplasty are rare.•Failure mode for cement-augmented fenestrated screws is generally screw cut-out.•Cement-augmented fenestrated screw instrumentation is safe in spine metastases.