title: Percutaneous kyphoplasty: new treatment for painful vertebral body fractures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness and safety of Percutaneous Kyphoplasty as a new method of treatment for pain deriving from vertebral compression fractures (VCF).
  
  
  METHODS
  We treated sixteen patients with unremitting pain over spine, which increased particularly when pressure was applied over the spinous process, in absence of neurological signs and refractory to conventional medical therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The method demonstrated swift pain relief associated with an evident augmentation in the resistance and restoration of the vertebral body's physiological shape. Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) leakages were not observed in the epidural space or foraminal area. The presence of complications such as pulmonary embolism involving the venous plexus, toxicity due to PMMA and infection due the procedure did not occur.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Kyphoplasty is an effective, alternative, simple and safe treatment of vertebral collapse consequent to osteoporosis. aggressive haemangiomas, myelomas and metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostics for Images and Interventional Radiology, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Italy. salva.masala@tiscali.it
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Masala
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cesaroni
authors.forename: Gianluigi
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sergiacomi
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fiori
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Massari
authors.forename: Guglielmo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Manenti
authors.forename: Piervittorio
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nardi
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simonetti
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005592:Fracture Fixation / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007738:Kyphosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019060:Minimally Invasive Surgical Procedures; D019637:Orthopedic Procedures / Q000379:methods*; D011859:Radiography; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000209:etiology / Q000601:surgery*; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries / Q000601:surgery*; D016896:Treatment Outcome