Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty in Spinal Trauma

Abstract Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty have become recognized procedures for the treatment of vertebral fractures, especially in patients with osteoporosis. In most cases of osteoporotic spinal vertebral fracture in elderly patients, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement is used to fill the defect and stabilize the vertebral body. The techniques of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty differ in the possibility of realignment and reconstruction of the vertebral body and spinal column. Long-term results in terms of integration of the cement and bioreactivity of the vertebral body are still lacking; so, these procedures are still no options in the treatment of younger patients. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty show different success in the management of fresh traumatic spine fractures. The acute traumatic vertebral fracture has to be classified sensitively, to find the right indication for cement augmentation. Mild acute compression fractures can be treated by vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty, severe compression and burst fractures by combination of internal fixation and kyphoplasty. The indications for use of biological or osteoinductive cement in spinal fracture management must still be regarded as restricted owing to the lack of basic biomechanical research data. Such cement should not be used except in clinical studies.     

Osteoporosebedingte Wirbelkörperfrakturen

Vertebral compression fractures are among the most common forms of manifestations of osteoporosis. Conservative treatment comprises adequate analgesia, osteoporosis medication and individualized physiotherapy or braces. Nevertheless, vertebral compression fractures frequently lead to persisting pain and decrease daily activity and quality of life. In these cases, kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty can be efficient treatment options. Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive procedure, in which bone cement is filled into the vertebral body under fluoroscopic control. In most cases, this internal stabilization leads to a rapid reduction in pain. Kyphoplasty additionally aims to correct the kyphotic deformation of the broken vertebra via introducing and inflating a balloon catheter. There is broad clinical experience with both procedures. For kyphoplasty, randomized controlled trials showed significant improvements in pain and quality of life in patients undergoing kyphoplasty. However, cement leakages lead to rare but severe complications such as pulmonary embolism and nerve palsies.     

Back pain in osteoporotic vertebral fractures

SUMMARY: This review article examines the epidemiology and pathogenesis of back pain and vertebral fractures in osteoporosis, reviewing the management of pain in patients with vertebral fractures and the direct and indirect effect of osteoporosis treatments on back pain. INTRODUCTION: The management of patients with vertebral fractures has largely concentrated on the prevention of further fractures by the treatment of underlying osteoporosis, with drug treatment for acute and chronic back pain and the non-pharmacological management of vertebral fractures receiving less attention. DISCUSSION: Emerging evidence suggests that, in addition to reducing the incidence of vertebral fractures, calcitonin, intravenous bisphosphonates and teriparatide may also have a direct effect on bone pain. Targeted analgesia, tailored to individual need is often required in both the acute and chronic phases following vertebral fracture. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty have also been approved for use in the management of vertebral fractures and may prove useful in selected patients unresponsive to conventional pain relief. There is some evidence to support the use of individualised tailored exercise programmes aimed at strengthening back muscles to maintain bone density and reduce further fracture incidence. In addition the use of specific orthoses may help to reduce kyphosis, improve mobility and reduce pain. CONCLUSION: Chronic back pain associated with vertebral fracture provides a great challenge to health care professionals and the patient. This demands a combination of options, including not only therapeutic interventions, but also physiotherapy, psychological support and patient education.     

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty update

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are minimally invasive vertebral augmentation procedures in which a filler material is percutaneously injected into a vertebral body for the treatment of vertebral fractures associated with osteoporosis, malignant conditions, hemangiomas, and osteonecrosis. In vertebroplasty, the filler is injected directly into the bone, whereas in kyphoplasty, the filler is injected into a cavity created by inflation of a balloon tamp. The goals of treatment include pain relief, fracture stabilization, restoration of vertebral height, and strengthening of the vertebral body to reduce the risk of a future fracture at the same level. When performed by a well-trained physician in appropriately selected patients, vertebral augmentation is usually effective in achieving one or more of these goals, with a generally good short-term safety profile. Although these procedures hold great promise in the management of vertebral fractures, many questions about long-term efficacy and safety remain.     

Respective contributions of vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty to the management of osteoporotic vertebral fractures

Among individuals aged 50-80 years, 5-20% have one or more vertebral crush fractures. One-third of these patients require treatment for acute or chronic pain. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty were introduced over the last two decades as treatments for incapacitating pain from osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Both techniques proved effective and safe in numerous retrospective and prospective studies. They now deserve to be incorporated into the standard treatment strategy for painful and incapacitating vertebral fractures. Kyphoplasty seeks not only to stabilize the vertebra, but also to correct the kyphosis induced by the vertebral body collapse. However, the correction is often limited (less than 15 degrees ) and has not been shown to increase the benefits in terms of pain relief or quality-of-life improvement, compared to vertebroplasty. Kyphoplasty is more costly than vertebroplasty, which is therefore emerging as the treatment of choice. However, a randomized double-blind trial comparing vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty is needed. Furthermore, a randomized comparison of vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty versus noninterventional treatment is needed in patients admitted for pain immediately after a vertebral crush fracture.     

Percutaneous vertebral augmentation.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: With the aging of the population, painful osteoporotic compression fractures are becoming more common. PURPOSE: To review the physiologic implications of these injuries as well as treatment options and outcomes, especially with reference to newer, percutaneous "augmentation" procedures, that is, vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A literature review. METHODS: No direct, randomized studies comparing vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty and standard, nonoperative care are available. RESULTS: The growing literature suggests a role for kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty in the management of patients with intractable pain or progressive vertebral collapse after vertebral compression fracture. Both procedures likely offer similar rates of pain relief. Kyphoplasty, although more expensive, may allow fracture reduction. The void created with the balloon tamp allows a more viscous cement to be applied, thereby decreasing the risk of extravasation. CONCLUSIONS: More study is required to understand the ideal role of these new techniques in the management of spinal osteoporosis and associated fractures. However, for carefully selected cases, current data suggest that the complication rates are low and pain relief can be profound.     

Balloon kyphoplasty in the management of vertebral compression fractures: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis

This systematic review updates the understanding of the evidence base for balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) in the management of vertebral compression fractures. Detailed searches of a number of electronic databases were performed from March to April 2006. Citation searches of included studies were undertaken and no language restrictions were applied. All controlled and uncontrolled studies were included with the exception of case reports. Prognostic factors responsible for pain relief and cement leakage were examined using meta-regression. Combined with previous evidence, a total of eight comparative studies (three against conventional medical therapy and five against vertebroplasty) and 35 case series were identified. The majority of studies were undertaken in older women with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with long-term pain that was refractory to medical treatment. In direct comparison to conventional medical management, patients undergoing BKP experienced superior improvements in pain, functionality, vertebral height and kyphotic angle at least up to 3-years postprocedure. Reductions in pain with BKP appeared to be greatest in patients with newer fractures. Uncontrolled studies suggest gains in health-related quality of life at 6 and 12-months following BKP. Although associated with a finite level of cement leakage, serious adverse events appear to be rare. Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures appear to be associated with a higher level of cement leakage following BKP than non-osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. In conclusion, there are now prospective studies of low bias, with follow-up of 12 months or more, which demonstrate balloon kyphoplasty to be more effective than medical management of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures and as least as effective as vertebroplasty. Results from ongoing RCTs will provide further information in the near future. This report has been undertaken through unrestricted funding by Kyphon Inc. The planning, conduct and conclusions of this report are made independently from the company.     

不同充填材料强化椎体在骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折中的应用

目的分别以聚甲基丙烯酸甲酯骨水泥(PMMA)和注射型自固化磷酸钙人工骨(CPC)作为强化椎体的充填材料,采用椎体成形术和膨胀式椎体成形器(Sky)后凸成形术治疗骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折,观察其临床疗效。方法对45例骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折患者采用以下4种方法治疗:椎体成形术 PMMA(15例17个椎体),椎体成形术 CPC(13例16个椎体),Sky后凸成形术 PMMA(8例8个椎体),Sky后凸成形术 CPC(9例10个椎体)。根据患者术前和术后侧位X线片计算椎体高度压缩率和恢复率、椎体后凸角度和恢复率,并采用VAS(vasual analogscale)进行术前和术后疼痛评分。结果所有患者均未出现并发症。Sky后凸成形术椎体高度恢复率和后凸角度恢复率优于椎体成形术。椎体增强材料充填剂量各组间无显著性差异。椎体成形术与Sky后凸成形术手术时无显著性差异。VAS评分术前各组无显著性差异,术后充填PMMA者优于充填CPC者,术后6周两者间无显著性差异。结论用PMMA和CPC强化椎体是一种微创、安全、有效治疗骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折的方法,应根据患者的具体情况选择治疗方法和椎体充填材料。     

Percutaneous vertebral augmentation: an elevation in adjacent-level fracture risk in kyphoplasty as compared with vertebroplasty.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are being increasingly treated with minimally invasive bone augmentation techniques such as kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty. Both are reported to be an effective means of pain relief; however, there may be an increased risk of developing subsequent VCFs after such procedures. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness and complication profile of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty in a single patient series. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: A clinical series of 36 patients with VCFs treated by vertebral augmentation procedures was retrospectively analyzed for surgical approach, volume of cement injected, cement extravasation (symptomatic and asymptomatic), the occurrence of subsequent adjacent level fracture, and pain relief. PATIENT SAMPLE: Thirty-six patients with 46 VCFs underwent either kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty after failing conservative therapy. The mean patient age was not significantly different between the kyphoplasty group (70; range, 46-83) and vertebroplasty group (72; range, 38-90) (p=.438). OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes were assessed by using self-report measures (a comparative pain rating scale) and physiologic measures (pre- and postoperative radiographs). METHODS: Thirty-six patients with VCFs underwent 46 augmentation procedures (17 patients had 20 fractures treated via kyphoplasty, and 19 patients had 26 fractures treated via vertebroplasty). Seventeen patients in this series underwent kyphoplasty using standard techniques involving bone void creation with balloon tamps, followed by cement injection. Nineteen patients underwent a percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure using a novel cannulated, fenestrated bone tap developed to direct cement anteriorly into the vertebral body to avoid backflow of cement onto neural elements. RESULTS: Pain improvement was seen in >90% of patients in both groups. Mean cement injection per vertebral body was 4.65 mL and 3.78 mL for the kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty groups, respectively (p=.014). Ninety-five percent of the kyphoplasty procedures were performed bilaterally, whereas only 19% of the vertebroplasty procedures required bilateral augmentation (p<.001). There was no cement extravasation resulting in radiculopathy, or myelopathy in either group. Asymptomatic cement extravasation was seen in 5 of 46 (11%) of the total series (3/20 [15%] and 2/26 [7.7%] of kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, respectively) (p=.696). Within a 3-month period, there were 5 new adjacent level fractures seen in 3 patients who underwent a kyphoplasty procedure (5/20 [25%]) and none in the vertebroplasty group (p<.05). CONCLUSIONS: Vertebroplasty appears to offer a comparable rate of postoperative pain relief as kyphoplasty while using less bone cement more often via a unilateral approach and without the attendant risk of adjacent level fracture.     

球囊扩张椎体成形术联合降钙素治疗老年骨质疏松性椎体骨折的疗效

目的回顾性分析球囊扩张椎体后凸成形术联合降钙素治疗骨质疏松性椎体骨折的疗效。方法 2007年2月～2010年1月,对25例35个椎体发生骨质疏松性椎体骨折患者行球囊扩张椎体后凸成形术联合降钙素综合治疗。术中在透视机监视下采用单侧椎弓根穿刺,置入1枚可扩张球囊使骨折塌陷椎体复位,灌注骨水泥充填由球囊扩张所形成的椎体内空腔。术后每天静脉注射鲑鱼降钙素,通过观察患者术后症状改善及骨折复位情况来评估其疗效。结果所有患者随访6～32个月,平均（21.3±0.2）个月。全部患者均顺利完成手术,无症状性并发症发生。术后疼痛明显减轻或消失。术后椎体高度平均恢复率59.5%。结论球囊扩张椎体后凸成形术治疗骨质疏松性椎体骨折可有效缓解疼痛、改善功能及恢复脊柱序列,联合降钙素的应用能有效缓解骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折引起的疼痛,是治疗骨质疏松性椎体骨折的较好微创方法之一。     

Balloon kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty in the management of vertebral compression fractures

Vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) are the most prevalent fractures in osteoporotic patients. The classical conservative management of these fractures is through rest, pain medication, bracing and muscle relaxants. The aim of this paper is to review prospective controlled studies comparing the efficacy and safety of minimally invasive techniques for vertebral augmentation, vertebroplasty (VP) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP), versus non-surgical management (NSM). The Fracture Working Group of the International Osteoporosis Foundation conducted a literature search and developed a review paper on VP and BKP. The results presented for the direct management of osteoporotic VCFs focused on clinical outcomes of these three different procedures, including reduction in pain, improvement of function and mobility, vertebral height restoration and decrease in spinal curvature (kyphosis). Overall, VP and BKP are generally safe procedures that provide quicker pain relief, mobility recovery and in some cases vertebral height restoration than conventional conservative medical treatment, at least in the short term. However, the long-term benefits and safety in terms of risk of subsequent vertebral fractures have not been clearly demonstrated and further prospective randomized studies are needed with standards for reporting. Referral physicians should be aware of VP/BKP and their potential to reduce the health impairment of patients with VCFs. However, VP and BKP are not substitutes for appropriate evaluation and treatment of osteoporosis to reduce the risk of future fractures.     

骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折手术治疗后的死亡率分析

背景：骨质疏松性椎体压缩性骨折（OVCFs）是老年人常见的骨折类型,椎体成形术（PVP）或椎体后凸成形术（PKP）可有效缓解OVCFs引起的疼痛,提高老年患者的生活质量,国内外针对其术后死亡率的相关文献报道鲜见。目的：总结OVCFs手术治疗的术后死亡率,探讨患者术后死亡的原因。方法：回顾性分析2003年3月至2010年6月因OVCFs行PVP或PKP并获得随访的203例患者资料。根据总体死亡率和术后1年内死亡率分析患者的死亡原因及其构成特点。结果：PVP或PKP治疗OVCFs的术后死亡率为14.7%%（30/203）,术后1年内死亡率为5.4%（11/203）,无一例发生围手术期死亡。死亡原因依次为心血管事件（9例）、呼吸功能衰竭（7例）、慢性疾病引起的多器官功能衰竭（5例）、恶性肿瘤（5例）、脑血管疾病（3例）、原因不明（1例）。统计结果显示年龄、性别、是否有基础疾病是影响死亡率的主要因素。PVP与PKP治疗OVCFs的患者死亡率无统计学差异。结论：行PVP或PKP治疗OVCFs的创伤小,能显著缓解疼痛,适用于高龄患者,可降低术后死亡率。     

骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折椎体成形术后非手术椎体再骨折危险因素探讨

骨质疏松性椎体压缩骨折(osteoprosis vertebral compression fracture,OVCF)是老年性及绝经后骨质疏松症患者最常见的严重并发症,骨折患者常有骨性疼痛、椎体高度下降、脊柱后凸畸形等临床表现,严重影响患者生活质量。经皮椎体成形术(percutaneous vertebroplasty,PVP)、经皮椎体后凸成形术(percutaneous kyphoplasty,PKP)及网袋加压椎体成形术(vesselplasty)是治疗OVCF的常用术式,在恢复椎体高度、预防后凸畸形、减轻疼痛症状等方面优势突出。但OVCF患者椎体成形术后存在非手术椎体再发骨折的可能性,在影响手术质量的同时,对患者术后康复、生活质量、经济负担均有较大影响。椎体成形术后非手术椎体再发骨折与骨质疏松进程、初始骨折部位及数量等自身客观因素相关,也与术后椎体高度的过度恢复、骨水泥渗漏、骨水泥过度填充等手术因素密切相关。本文通过查阅近年来关于OVCF患者椎体成形术后非手术椎体再发骨折危险因素及原因文献报道,综述经过统计学方法验证的,具有统计学意义的危险因素,通过患者自身因素、手术因素等方面展开探讨,以期能够为临床降低OVCF患者椎体成形术后再发骨折的发生率提供相关参考。     

Pain reduction following vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty

Purpose

To evaluate the clinical efficacy, especially the pain reduction, of vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs).

Methods

Eighty-six patients with OVCFs were treated with vertebroplasty or balloon kyphoplasty. All patients were followed up for seven–36 months. Visual analog scale (VAS), vertebral height, and local kyphotic angle were evaluated at pre-operation, postoperation, and final follow-up.

Results

The VAS pain score decreased significantly after surgery in both kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty groups (p < 0.001), and the improvement of VAS score had no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.826). There was a significant difference in the improvement of vertebral height (p < 0.001) and local kyphotic angle (p < 0.001) between the two groups. Improvement of VAS score had no correlation with improvement of vertebral height (vertebroplasty: r = −0.029, p = 0.869; kyphoplasty: r = 0.175, p = 0.219) or local kyphotic angle (vertebroplasty: r = 0.159, p = 0.361; kyphoplasty: r = 0.144, p = 0.312) in either group.

Conclusion

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are effective procedures for the reduction of pain in OVCFs, and they have the same efficient effect on pain reduction. Correction of vertebral height and local kyphosis may have minimal effect on pain reduction.     

Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty for treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are common in the elderly population and often involve the thoracolumbar vertebrae. Clinical symptoms of OVCFs include severe pain, loss of vertebral height, progressive kyphosis and increased mortality. Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty is a recently developed OVCFs treatment modality, with few systematic studies present in the literature. This retrospective study was designed to investigate the safety and efficacy of Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty for treating thoracolumbar OVCFs. Sixteen elderly patients (55–85 years) with solitary thoracolumbar OVCFs were treated with this procedure and followed-up (10–27 months). The amount of injected bone cement and operative time, preoperative and postoperative visual analogue scores, anterior and middle vertebral body heights, local kyphosis angle, and complications was analysed. The results showed that the method provided long-term pain relief and restoration of the vertebral body height and spinal alignment. No serious complications occurred, but two patients experienced recompression of the vertebral body, and one patient experienced cement leakage into a disc. In conclusion, Jack vertebral dilator kyphoplasty is a safe and effective minimally invasive procedure for treatment of OVCFs.     

Improvement in respiratory function after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty

Our objective was to study the changes in respiratory function of patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. Thoracic kyphotic angle, local kyphotic angle, pain scores and pulmonary function parameters were measured in 38 older women with OVCFs before, three days after and three months after operation. Vital capacity, forced vital capacity and maximum voluntary ventilation significantly increased three days after operation (P < 0.01), but only maximum voluntary ventilation went on to improve three months later (P < 0.01); the thoracic kyphotic angle had a significantly negative correlation with vital capacity (vertebroplasty: r = −0.832; kyphoplasty: r = −0.546). In thoracic subgroups, the improvement of the local kyphotic angle and vital capacity had a remarkably positive correlation (vertebroplasty: r = 0.778; kyphoplasty: r = 0.637), and kyphoplasty could improve vital capacity more than vertebroplasty (P < 0.01). Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty improve the lung function impaired by OVCFs, and kyphoplasty has a better effect in improving vital capacity for thoracic OVCFs.     

Percutaneous vertebroplasty and percutaneous balloon kyphoplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture: A metaanalysis

Background:Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is the most common complication of osteoporosis, however, debate persists over which procedure of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) is a better treatment. We performed a metaanalysis of prospective, randomized controlled and clinical controlled trials of PVP and BKP to determine the efficacy and safety for the treatment of OVCFs to reach a relatively conclusive answer.Results:As of March 15, 2013, a PubMed search resulted in 761 articles, of which eleven studies encompassing 789 patients, met the inclusion criteria. The average length of followup is 17 months and 4.6% patients were lost to followup. Results of metaanalysis indicated that BKP is more effective for short term pain relief. In addition, BKP is more effective to restore the AVBH (anterior vertebral body height), ODI and kyphotic angle of OVCFs. Moreover, BKP need more polymethylmethacrylate amount.Conclusions:In terms of better effectiveness of BKP procedure, we believe BKP to be superior over PVP for the treatment of osteoporotic VCFs.     

Minimally invasive treatment of osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures.

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Seven hundred thousand osteoporotic compression fractures occur yearly. Approximately 260,000 lead to severe pain, and 150,000 require hospital admissions. Associated with the fractures are increased loss of pulmonary function (90% decreased forced vital capacity per fracture level) and an increase in gastrointestinal complications (early satiety, and therefore malnutrition) and increased mortality (greater than that associated with osteoporotic hip fractures). New treatments available for these painful disorders include kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty. The injections of polymethylmethacrylate into the vertebrae (vertebroplasty technique) decrease pain and improve function. Kyphoplasty (percutaneous placement of a balloon tamp to improve height and create a void, and then the filling of this void with cement) improves function, decreases pain and helps realign the spine. PURPOSE: To compare kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, and assess their various merits, treatment indications, and outcomes. STUDY DESIGN/SETTING: Literature review with presentation of early results of a national, clinical study. METHODS: Literature review for overview. Retrospective chart/patient review for clinical data presented on kyphoplasty. RESULTS: Ninety-five percent of individuals treated for painful osteoporotic compression fractures have significant improvement in symptoms and function after kyphoplasty or vertebroplasty. Kyphoplasty improves vertebral body height and kyphotic alignment by 50%, if performed within 3 months of the onset of the fracture collapse. CONCLUSIONS: Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty both have roles in the treatment of painful osteoporotic compression fractures. Only kyphoplasty helps improve height and kyphosis, which should help prevent pulmonary and gastrointestinal complications.     

Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty

Percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty provide minimally invasive options for the management of osteoporotic and osteolytic vertebral compression fractures. These techniques provide substantial pain relief and support without requiring long periods of recumbency, and have an acceptable complication rate. Vertebral augmentation techniques such as vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty provide pain relief and improvement in quality of life in the highly selected patient. Complications can be avoided with careful surgical technique, and good outcomes can be achieved with proper patient selection.