Surgical therapy of osteoporotic vertebral body fractures

Osteoporosis is an age-related systemic disease leading to increased bone fragility. The vertebral bodies of the transitional area between the thoracic and lumbar spine are often involved. A large number of unreported or late-diagnosed fractures have to be assumed. If risk factors such as advanced age or comorbidities are present in the case of new-onset back pain, an osteoporotic vertebral body fracture as a possible cause has to be considered. This sets the diagnostic workup in motion, consisting of clinical and radiological examinations. In addition to conservative treatment, minimal invasive cement augmentation of the fracture via vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty is an option. Open surgical procedures, feared by older patients and their physicians, are rarely necessary. Of utmost importance after dealing with the fracture is the subsequent treatment of the underlying osteoporotic disease to prevent the occurrence of further fractures.     

Operative Behandlung osteoporotischer Wirbelk?rperfrakturen

Osteoporosis is an age-related systemic disease leading to increased bone fragility. The vertebral bodies of the transitional area between the thoracic and lumbar spine are often involved. A large number of unreported or late-diagnosed fractures have to be assumed. If risk factors such as advanced age or comorbidities are present in the case of new-onset back pain, an osteoporotic vertebral body fracture as a possible cause has to be considered. This sets the diagnostic workup in motion, consisting of clinical and radiological examinations. In addition to conservative treatment, minimal invasive cement augmentation of the fracture via vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty is an option. Open surgical procedures, feared by older patients and their physicians, are rarely necessary. Of utmost importance after dealing with the fracture is the subsequent treatment of the underlying osteoporotic disease to prevent the occurrence of further fractures.     

Management of acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures: a nonrandomized trial comparing percutaneous vertebroplasty with conservative therapy

PURPOSE: We sought to determine whether percutaneous vertebroplasty--which involves the injection of cement to stabilize a fractured vertebral body--may be an effective treatment for vertebral fracture. METHODS: We enrolled 79 consecutive osteoporotic patients (24 men and 55 women; ages 51 to 93 years) presenting with acute vertebral fractures. Clinical characteristics and bone densitometry were measured at baseline. Pain scores (on a 0 to 25 scale) and levels of function (on a 0 to 20 scale) were recorded on presentation, at 24 hours, at 6 weeks, and 6 to 12 months after therapy. RESULTS: Fifty-five patients (70%) were treated by percutaneous vertebroplasty and 24 (30%) were treated by conservative therapy alone. They were followed for a mean of 215 days (range, 57 to 399 days). The baseline clinical characteristics, bone densitometry, and fracture data were similar in the two groups. Twenty-four hours after vertebroplasty, there was a 53% reduction in pain scores (from 19 to 9; P = 0.0001) and a 29% improvement in physical functioning (from 14 to 18; P = 0.0001), whereas pain scores and physical functioning remained unchanged at 24 hours in the patients treated conservatively (both P = 0.0001 compared with the changes after percutaneous vertebroplasty). Thirteen patients (24%) treated by percutaneous vertebroplasty were able to cease all analgesia after 24 hours (P = 0.0001 compared with none of the 24 patients treated conservatively). Clinical outcomes at 6 weeks and 6 to 12 months were similar in both groups. CONCLUSION: When compared with conservative therapy, percutaneous vertebroplasty results in prompt pain relief and rapid rehabilitation. In experienced hands, it is a safe and effective procedure for treating acute osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.     

Embolismo pulmonar por cemento tras vertebroplastia

In recent years, the use of vertebral cementing techniques for vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty has spread for the treatment of pain associated with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. This is also associated with the increased incidence of complications related with these procedures, the most frequent being originated by leakage of cementation material. Cement can escape into the vertebral venous system and reach the pulmonary circulation through the azygous system and cava vein, producing a cement embolism. This is a frequent complication, occurring in up to 26% of patients undergoing vertebroplasty but, since most patients have no clinical or hemodynamical repercussion, this event usually goes unnoticed. However, some serious, and even fatal cases, have been reported. We report the case of a 74-year-old male patient who underwent vertebroplasty for persistent pain associated with osteoporotic L3 vertebral fracture and who developed a cement leak into the cava vein and right pulmonary artery during the procedure. Although he developed a pulmonary cement embolism, the patient remained asymptomatic and did not present complications during follow-up.     

Fatal fat embolism syndrome during posterior spinal fusion surgery: A case report and literature review

Rationale:Fat embolism syndrome (FES) is a rare but potentially lethal complication. Although serious FES is associated with long bone fractures and major joint surgery, the number of patients who develop fatal FES intraoperatively is probably higher than the described number. We herein report an extremely rare autopsy-confirmed case of fatal FES during posterior spinal fusion to enhance pedicle screw (PS) fixation with allograft bone augmentation.Patient Concerns:A 74-year-old woman came to the hospital complaining of back pain, lower extremity pain and numbness, and intermittent claudication.Diagnosis:She was diagnosed with lumbar degenerative scoliosis and lumbar spinal canal stenosis based on imaging findings.Interventions:During posterior spinal fusion to enhance pedicle screw fixation with allograft bone augmentation, her blood pressure and oxygen saturation dropped significantly, so the operation was stopped, and cardiopulmonary resuscitation was performed. Chest computed tomography demonstrated bilateral diffuse alveolar infiltrates.Outcomes:The patient died three days later due to fat embolism. The autopsy revealed diffuse myocardial ischemia and diffuse alveolar damage. Numerous fat emboli were observed at lung, kidney and spleen and small necrotic bone fragments, possibly derived from allograft bone debris, were found in the peripheral pulmonary artery.Lessons:Fatal FES associated to seemingly harmless isolated osteoporotic vertebral fractures-vertebroplasty and posterior spinal fusion has been reported. The mechanism was hypothesized to be that both vertebral fractures and spine surgery have the potential to involve bone marrow, thereby increasing intraosseous pressure, and this pressure dislodges fat and bone marrow and pushes them out into the venous circulation, causing systemic inflammation.This is the first report to show histological evidence that the allografted bone embolized to the lungs. Although several reports have indicated that inserting reinforcing materials into the tapped screw holes can enhance the pedicle screw fixation, this procedure may cause severe FES due to fat and debris of material augmentation (i.e. cement, hydroxyapatite, allograft bone). It is important for physicians, especially spinal surgeons, and anesthetists, to be aware of the potential for FES to occur during spinal surgery, which can cause serious complications in a small minority of patients.     

Stress fractures in rheumatological practice: clinical significance and localizations

The objective of this study was to analyze the clinical characteristics, associated disorders, and the most common sites of stress fractures in rheumatological patients. Over a 3-year period, 35 patients with 44 stress fractures were prospectively recruited from an outpatient rheumatological department (32 postmenopausal women and three men aged 47 to 86 years, mean 70+/-10.6 years). Clinical diagnosis was established by compatible clinical and radiological data. In addition, previous skeletal fractures were recorded in all patients. Bone mass assessment was performed in 23 patients and spinal X-ray in 21. The diagnosis of osteoporosis was defined by the presence of atraumatic vertebral fractures and/or densitometric criteria (lumbar or femoral bone mass <-2.5 T score). The most frequent stress fractures were: pelvic ring (13 sacrum and eight pubic) and metatarsal (11 fractures), followed by tibia (seven fractures), calcaneus (three fractures), femur (one), and tarsal (one). Nine patients (26%) presented simultaneous stress fractures. Twenty-four patients (69%) suffered previous osteoporotic fractures, vertebral and Colles' fractures being the most frequent. Most of the evaluated patients (25 out of 30) had osteoporosis (83%). Six patients had associated disorders (glucocorticoids use in three patients, neurologic disorders in two, and rheumatoid arthritis in one). Except for the patient with a femur fracture which required internal fixation, no other clinical complications were observed after conservative treatment. In conclusion, fractures of the pelvic ring, especially sacrum, and metatarsal are the most frequent stress fractures in rheumatological practice. The association with osteoporosis and the history of prior low-trauma fractures are common in these patients.     

Effects of osteoporotic fractures on quality of life-related variables in the community elderly in Japan: An 8-year follow-up study in TMIG-LISA

Background:   The purpose of this study was to investigate the long-term influence of osteoporotic fractures on (1) self-rated health (SRH); (2) instrumental activity of daily living (I-ADL); and (3) state of depression, all of which are the major variables related to quality of life (QOL) in the elderly.
Methods:   The subjects were 504 men and women who participated in the Longitudinal Interdisciplinary Study on Aging conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology (TMIG-LISA) from 1992 to 2000. Among those interviewed, 50 participants (15 males and 35 females) who sustained fractures spontaneously or by minor trauma were diagnosed as having osteoporotic fractures.
A nested case-control (1 : 1) study with sex-and age-matched controls was conducted as statistical analysis to identify the effects of osteoporotic fractures on QOL-related variables.
Results:   For self-rated health, the frequency of 'poor' self-rated health increased significantly in the cases from 19.6% at baseline (1992) to 42.6% at the 8-year follow-up (2000). In the controls, there was no significant increase in frequency of 'poor' rating.
The proportion of subjects with impaired I-ADL during 8 years increased significantly in the cases from 12.0% in 1992 to 38.0% in 2000, and also in the controls from 14.0% in 1992 to 36.0% in 2000.
The prevalence of depressive status increased in the cases from 32.6% to 50.0%. There was, however, no statistically significant difference between cases and controls.
Conclusion:   The results suggest that osteoporotic fractures at any site are associated with serious and remarkable decline of overall QOL-related variables among the community elderly.     

小剂量骨水泥椎体成型术治疗老年性胸腰椎骨折的临床效果

目的 探究小剂量骨水泥椎体成型术(PVP)治疗老年性胸腰椎骨折的临床效果.方法 分析2016年9月-2018年2月安徽医科大学附属安庆医院骨科收治的71例老年性胸腰椎骨折患者的临床资料,根据不同的治疗方法分为对照组(n=31)和观察组(n=40).观察组采用小剂量骨水泥PVP术治疗,对照组接受大剂量PVP术治疗.评估并...     

Long-term observations of vertebral osteoporotic fractures treated by percutaneous vertebroplasty

OBJECTIVE: To assess the immediate and long-term efficacy and safety of percutaneous vertebroplasty with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for the treatment of refractory pain resulting from osteoporotic vertebral fractures. METHODS: A retrospective, open study of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) was conducted with long-term follow-up. PV with PMMA was carried out between 1990 and 1996 in 40 patients with symptomatic osteoporotic vertebral fracture(s) that had not responded to maximum medical therapy. In 1997, each patient was asked to come back to our institution for a physical and spinal X-ray examination. Efficacy was assessed by changes over time in pain on Huskisson's visual analogue scale (VAS). RESULTS: Thirty-four vertebrae treated by PV in 25 patients were evaluated with long-term follow-up. The mean duration of follow-up was 48 months (range 12-84 months). Pain assessed by the VAS significantly (P<0.05) decreased from a mean of 80 mm+/-16 (S.D.) before PV to 37+/-24 mm after 1 month and 34+/-28 mm at the time of maximal follow-up. There was no severe complication related to this treatment, and no progression of vertebral deformity in any of the injected vertebrae. However, there was a slight but significantly increased risk of vertebral fracture in the vicinity of a cemented vertebra (odds ratio 2.27, 95% confidence interval 1.1-4.56). The odds ratio of a vertebral fracture in the vicinity of an uncemented fractured vertebra was 1.44 (0.82-2.55). CONCLUSION: PV appears to be a safe and useful procedure for the treatment of focal back pain secondary to osteoporotic vertebral fracture when conservative treatment has failed.     

Intervertebral disc calcification in thalassemia intermedia

Objectives:  Intervertebral disc calcification, an age-related phenomenon of variable clinical significance is described in hemochromatosis. As β-thalassemia is characterized by excessive tissue iron deposition and secondary hemosiderosis, and skeletal abnormalities are often observed in these patients, this study is conducted to identify the prevalence of Intervertebral Disc Calcification (IDC) in thalassemia intermedia population.
Methods:  We investigated all the elder than 30 years β-thalassemia intermedia patients of our Department thalassemia unit . Patients underwent thoracic and lumbar spinal X-rays for IDC presence. Patients presenting IDC were compared to those not presenting, regarding back pain anamnesis, presence of back pain, extramedullary hemopoiesis, sex, age, Hb levels, ferritin levels, reticulocytes, bilirubin values, thyroid–parathyroid abnormalities. Student's t- test was used to compare variables between patients with and without IDC. A P- value under 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results:  We investigated 30 β-thalassemia intermedia patients (19 women) with an age range 38–61 yr (42.5 ± 11.46 yr ). Intervertebral disc calcifications were observed in seven patients (23.33%). No sex and laboratory parameters statistically significant differences were observed differences for IDC prevalence, while mean age and back pain history was statistically significantly different between the two groups.
Conclusions:  In thalassemia patients, the big variety of spinal deformities may hide the presence of IDC and thus, this entity may be overlooked or underestimated. The clinical significance of IDC development as well as the possible prevention by early transfusion chelation therapy should be further investigated.     

Spinal volumetric trabecular bone mass in acromegalic patients: a longitudinal study

Objective  Data on trabecular bone mass in acromegaly are controversial. All the studies are cross-sectional and bone mineral density (BMD) has been evaluated largely by dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), which is influenced by bone enlargement. In this study we assessed in acromegalic patients the effects overtime of GH excess on trabecular bone mass measured by single-energy quantitative computed tomography (QCT) which is not influenced by bone size.
Design  Longitudinal retrospective study.
Patients  A total of 46 acromegalic patients followed-up for 48 months (median), subdivided into four groups: group A (eugonadal patients with active disease: n  = 13), group B (hypogonadal patients with active disease; n  = 9), group C (eugonadal patients with controlled disease; n  = 10), group D (hypogonadal patients with controlled disease; n  = 14).
Measurements  Serum GH and IGF-I levels, spinal trabecular BMD, and vertebral fractures were evaluated in all patients. BMD variations were reported as change (Δ) in Z -values (Z-QCT) measured at baseline and end of follow-up per year (Δ Z-QCT).
Results  Δ Z-QCT was greater in group A vs. group B and D ( P = 0·002 and P  = 0·0001, respectively) and in group C vs. group D ( P = 0·009). Multivariate regression analysis showed that hypogonadal status (β = –0·69; P  = 0·001) and baseline duration of hypogonadism (β = 0·44; P  = 0·02) but not baseline duration of acromegaly, length of follow-up and disease activity, were significantly associated with Δ Z-QCT.
Conclusions  This longitudinal study suggests that the effect of chronic GH excess on spinal trabecular bone mass seems to be anabolic in active eugonadal patients but not in hypogonadal ones.     

Risk factors for hip fracture in Japanese elderly women with osteoporosis: Applicability of biochemical markers in bone turnover

Aim:   The purpose of this study was to investigate risk factors for hip fracture in 169 Japanese elderly women.
Methods:   Patients were divided into three groups: 53 patients had osteoporosis with hip fractures (FX-G), 59 patients had osteoporosis without hip fractures (NFX-G) and 57 patients had low back pain with neither osteoporosis nor hip fracture (NOP-G). Bone mineral density (BMD) of lumbar spine, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and deoxypyridinoline (DPD) were compared among the three groups.
Results:   The mean BMD of FX-G and NFX-G was lower than that of NOP-G, but there was no significant difference between FX-G and NFX-G. Although the mean BAP of FX-G was similar to that of NOP-G, both were lower than NFX-G ( P  < 0.05). However, the mean DPD of FX-G was higher than the other groups ( P  < 0.05, vs NFX-G, P  < 0.001, vs NOP-G). The percentage of patients who showed BAP levels less than 35 IU/L and DPD levels of 7.5 nmoL/mmol-Cr or more, was highest in FX-G (72.7%). This percentage was lower for NFX-G (30.9%) and NOP-G (16.4%). The odds ratio of hip fracture occurring was 5.77 (95% confidence interval, 2.25−14.66).
Conclusion:   Bone turnover consisting of increase in bone resorption and decrease in bone formation apart from BMD of lumbar spine resulted in a higher incidence of hip fracture for Japanese elderly women with osteoporosis.     

A review of vertebroplasty for osteoporotic and malignant vertebral compression fractures

Vertebral compression fractures are a common clinical problem and the incidence of them will increase with the ageing population. Traditionally management has been conservative; however, there has been a growing trend towards vertebroplasty as an alternative therapy in patients with persisting severe pain. NICE produced guidance in 2003 recommending the procedure after 4 weeks of conservative management. Recent high-quality studies have been contradictory and there is currently a debate surrounding the role of the procedure with no agreement in the literature. We examine the evidence in both osteoporotic and malignant vertebral compression fractures; we also describe the benefits and side effects, alternative treatment options and the cost of the procedure. Finally, we recommend when vertebroplasty is most appropriately used based on the best available evidence.     

Comparison of one-week and two-week empirical trial with a high-dose rabeprazole in non-cardiac chest pain patients

Background:  In patients with non-cardiac chest pain (NCCP), the optimal duration of an empirical trial with a high-dose proton pump inhibitor (PPI) is unclear. We aimed to compare the efficacy of one-week and two-week PPI trial in patients with weekly or more than weekly NCCP and to determine its optimal duration for diagnosing gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)-related NCCP.
Methods:  Forty-two patients with at least weekly NCCP were enrolled. The baseline symptoms were assessed using a daily symptom diary for seven days. Also, esophago-gastro-duodenoscopy and 24 h esophageal pH monitoring were performed for the diagnosis of GERD. Then, patients were treated with rabeprazole 20 mg twice daily for 14 days. To assess NCCP improvement during the PPI trial, the first week and the second week symptom diary were kept for 1–7 and 8–14 days. The PPI test was considered positive if a symptom score improved (50% compared to the baseline.
Results:  There was no significant difference for a positive PPI test between GERD-related NCCP group ( n  = 8, 50%) and non GERD-related NCCP group ( n  = 6, 23%) during the first week of the PPI test. However, during the second week, GERD-related NCCP had a higher positive PPI test ( n  = 13, 81%) than non GERD-related NCCP ( n  = 7, 27%) ( P  = 0.001) with a sensitivity and specificity of 81% and 62%, respectively.
Conclusions:  The rabeprazole empirical trial was diagnostic for patients with GERD-related NCCP, and its optimal duration was determined to be at least two weeks.     

Kyphoplasty: vertebral augmentation for compression fractures

Osteoporosis has devastating consequences for individuals and society in terms of suffering, disability, and increased health care expenses. Early diagnosis and treatment of compression fractures with kyphoplasty allow restoration of normal anatomy as much as possible. Vertebral augmentations by kyphoplasty are efficacious treatments for osteoporotic compression fractures. Kyphoplasty minimizes the risk for cement leakage by compacting the cancellous bone to the periphery, sealing off the fracture clefts,and creating a cavity into which cement is poured. This technique may prevent propagation of further fractures by reducing the col-lapsed vertebral bodies toward its native height, normalizing the sagittal spinal alignment and the force transmission along the spine.     

Physical rehabilitation for osteoporotic fractures

Osteoporotic fractures usually occur in elderly patients. If the patients are kept in bed due to pain or therapeutic purposes, they are likely to suffer from various complications such as suppressed physical function, pneumonia, pressure sore, dementia, and deep vein thrombosis. Such disuse syndrome is commonly observed after femoral neck fracture and spinal compression fracture in the osteoporotic patients. In order to prevent the patients from the bed ridden condition, early ambulation is mandatory in consideration of the general condition. After ambulation, the maintenance of daily physical activity and the prevention of additional fractures are essential points in the management of osteoporotic patients.     

经皮椎体增强术后生物力学有限元模型的建立及应用

目的建立腰2椎体骨质疏松致压缩骨折患者应用骨水泥注入治疗前后生物力学有限元模型,观察对比病椎与相邻椎体治疗前后应力的改变情况。方法随机选取本院1例70岁腰2椎体骨质疏松致压缩骨折经皮实施椎体成形术治疗患者,双侧腰2椎弓根予以少量骨水泥注入,2年后随访其病椎与相邻的椎体均未见新发骨折,并且局部无疼痛。参照治疗前后患者腰椎CT资料,建立三维生物力学有限元模型,并模拟患者腰椎旋转、屈伸及左右侧屈,观察对比病椎与相邻椎体治疗前后应力的改变情况。结果成功建立腰2椎体骨质疏松致压缩骨折予以少量骨水泥注入治疗前后的三维生物力学有限元模型。共计211618个单元生成,其中20914个4节点壳单元、190107个10节点体单元、597个杆单元。骨水泥注入后,腰2椎体的伸、屈及侧屈应力较前增加（P均〈0．05）,椎体旋转时应力治疗前后比较无统计学差异（P〉0．05）;腰1及腰3椎体伸、屈、旋转及侧屈时应力治疗前后无差异（P〉0．05）。结论生物力学有限元模型有助于腰椎骨质疏松致压缩骨折患者骨水泥治疗的预后判定。关键词：腰椎骨折;骨质疏松;骨水泥;生物力学;三维有限元     

Implant Augmentation: Adding Bone Cement to Improve the Treatment of Osteoporotic Distal Femur Fractures: A Biomechanical Study Using Human Cadaver Bones

The increasing problems in the field of osteoporotic fracture fixation results in specialized implants as well as new operation methods, for example, implant augmentation with bone cement. The aim of this study was to determine the biomechanical impact of augmentation in the treatment of osteoporotic distal femur fractures.Seven pairs of osteoporotic fresh frozen distal femora were randomly assigned to either an augmented or nonaugmented group. In both groups, an Orthopaedic Trauma Association 33 A3 fractures was fixed using the locking compression plate distal femur and cannulated and perforated screws. In the augmented group, additionally, 1 mL of polymethylmethacrylate cement was injected through the screw. Prior to mechanical testing, bone mineral density (BMD) and local bone strength were determined. Mechanical testing was performed by cyclic axial loading (100 N to 750 N + 0.05N/cycle) using a servo-hydraulic testing machine.As a result, the BMD as well as the axial stiffness did not significantly differ between the groups. The number of cycles to failure was significantly higher in the augmented group with the BMD as a significant covariate.In conclusion, cement augmentation can significantly improve implant anchorage in plating of osteoporotic distal femur fractures.     

Diagnostic yield and therapeutic impact of single-balloon enteroscopy: Series of 106 cases

Background and Aim:  Single-balloon enteroscopy (SBE) is a novel method of balloon assisted enteroscopy which allows deep intubation of intestine and has therapeutic potential. This prospective study was done in a tertiary care center to evaluate the feasibility, complications, diagnostic and therapeutic yield of SBE in patients with suspected small bowel disorders.
Methods:  One hundred and six patients (mean age 40.1 years, range 12–76 years, 65 men) with suspected small bowel diseases underwent 131 SBE procedures between February 2007 and July 2008.
Results:  Indications for SBE included obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) (40), chronic abdominal pain with abnormal imaging studies (34), chronic diarrhea (20), polyposis syndromes (11) and foreign body (1).The mean insertion depth was 255.8 ± 84.5 cm beyond the duodenojejunal flexure by the oral route and 163 ± 59.3 cm proximal to the ileocecal valve by the per anal approach. The mean duration of the procedure for antegrade and retrograde enteroscopy was 65.9 ± 19.5 min and 72.3 ± 18.3 min, respectively. Pan-enteroscopy was possible in 25% of cases (five of 20 cases in which total enteroscopy was attempted). Diagnostic yields in cases of OGIB, chronic abdominal pain and chronic diarrhea were 60%, 65% and 55%, respectively. Overall new diagnosis was established in 46% and the extent of known disease was assessed in 15% of cases. In 21% of patients, therapeutic interventions were carried out while surgical treatment was directed to 8.4% of the patients. No major complications were observed.
Conclusion:  SBE is well tolerated and has good diagnostic yield, having a similar yield to previous double-balloon enteroscopy reports.