New Bone Cement Allows Visualization During Placement

An injectable high viscosity (HV) bone cement with incorporated tracking beads addresses the need for real-time flow visualization during vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures.

IZI Medical Products (IZI; Owing Mills, MD, USA) Vertefix HV is a two component polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement intended for the fixation of pathological fractures of the vertebral body for patients suffering from painful vertebral compression fractures, osteoporosis, osteopenia, benign lesions such as hemangiomas, malignant lesions such as metastatic cancer and myeloma, treatment of acute and chronic instabilities, and deformities of the thoracic and lumbar spine.

Features of Vertefix HV include infused proprietary Insite tracking beads that offer improved control due to variable-sized barium particles for real-time flow visualization; high viscosity combined with a long working time and an extended injection time of 18 minutes; and pre-measured powder and liquid components that are easy to mix, producing 18 CC of PMMA cement for injection.

“Our goal in developing Vertefix HV was to give physicians a better way to track and control where cement is flowing during their procedures,” said Greg Groenke, CEO of IZI Medical. “The introduction of variable-sized barium particles with high viscosity makes this possible, improving outcomes and safety for patients.”

“Vertefix HV will help you control your cement and allow you to have excellent cement viscosity immediately after mixing. It has an optimal volume of cement with good working time and viscosity, along with great visualization so you can see when the cement is flowing and where it is going,” said Douglas Beall, MD, of Comprehensive Specialty Care (Edmond, OK, USA). “Insite beads are a great addition. Bottom line is it's the best cement I've used since I can remember.”

PMMA bone cement is an acrylic compound first used clinically in the 1940s in plastic surgery due to its excellent tissue compatibility. It works by filling the voids between the prosthesis and the bone, and plays an important role in maintaining the elastic zone by absorbing the mechanical forces that are at work, thus ensuring that the artificial implant remains in place over the long term.

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