Figure 16a. Polymethylmethacrylate embolism following percutaneous vertebroplasty in a 64-year-old woman. (a) CT scan (7-mm collimation, mediastinal window) obtained at the level of the inferior portion of the left atrium shows radiopaque emboli in the segmental and subsegmental levels of the pulmonary arteries (arrows). (b) CT scan obtained at the level of the pelvic inlet shows tortuous paravertebral veins filled with polymethylmethacrylate (arrows). The vertebral body has been reinforced with this material. (Case courtesy of Joon Beom Seo, MD, Asan Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.)