Use of percutaneous kyphoplasty to treat painful vertebral compression fractures (VCF) in solid tumors

Abstract

e20568 Background: Vertebral compression fractures are a major source of morbidity in metastatic carcinoma. Kyphoplasty involves inflation of a balloon for painful kyphotic deformity restoring the vertebral body to its original height and creating a cavity for percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Contraindications include epidural spinal cord compression. Although it is FDA approved for cancer-associated VCF most of the data is in the myeloma population. Methods: We retrospectively assessed by electronic medical records the safety and efficacy of kyphoplasties performed by the orthopedic spine service in a single institution between 12/03 and 2/08. We identified those patients who had kyphoplasty as the only spine procedure and excluded those patients with incomplete documentation of pain scores. Comparison was made between patients selected for pathologic compression fractures and benign compression fractures secondary to trauma or osteoporosis. Results: Review of 447 consecutive orthopedic spine cases identified 40 kyphoplasty patients, 30 of which met the inclusion criteria - 21 with benign compression fractures secondary to osteoporosis/trauma and 9 with malignant disease (3 breast CA, 2 lung, 1 cervix, 1 RCC, 2 myeloma). 49 kyphoplasties and 23 concurrent spine biopsies were performed in this group. Median age was in the cancer group was 55 (37–81) vs. 68(41–93) in benign group. One patient had prior radiation in the cancer group. The average preoperative visual analog pain score was 7 (range 3–9) and postoperative pain score was 2.0 (0–9) in the cancer group. The average preoperative visual analog pain score 6.8 (0–9) and post-operative score was 0.8 (0–4) in the benign group. Most procedures did not require general anesthesia. There were no reported PMMA extravasations, and no hematologic or neurologic complications in either group. Conclusions: Kyphoplasty provided marked pain relief in patients with VCF secondary to solid tumors and myeloma. The results are comparable to non-cancer population in safety and efficacy, and are feasible in selected cancer patients with pain due to pathologic compression fractures. [Table: see text]