Efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty combined with radiotherapy in osteolytic metastatic spinal tumors

Object. Vertebroplasty involves the percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate into collapsed vertebral bodies due to hemangioma, osteoporosis, or malignant tumor. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the merits and efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) combined with radiotherapy in treating patients with osteolytic metastatic spinal tumors (OMSTs). Methods. Twenty-eight patients with OMSTs underwent PVP for the treatment of 72 vertebrae after administration of a local anesthetic or induction of general anesthesia for pain relief and spinal stabilization. Radiotherapy for suppressing tumor or inducing pain relief was performed immediately after PVP in 22 patients. Pain levels were assessed before and after the procedure by using a visual analog scale (VAS), and follow-up assessment was conducted at 1, 3, 6, and 9 months. On postoperative Day 3, marked-to-complete VAS score-based pain relief was achieved in 13 patients (48%) and moderate relief was demonstrated in 11 (41%). The mean VAS pain score was reduced from 8.2 to 3, and major complications were absent in all cases. Follow-up plain radiography was performed to assess vertebral column stability. Neither additional vertebral collapse in the treated vertebrae nor neurological deterioration was observed. Conclusions. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure and, when combined with radiotherapy, seems to be effective in providing pain relief and stabilization in patients with OMSTs.