title: Immediate pain relief and improved structural stability after percutaneous vertebroplasty for a severely destructive vertebral compression fracture.
abstract: Approximately 10% to 30% of patients with cancer have metastases to the spine that require treatment. Spinal metastases can cause acute and chronic pain, compression fractures, spinal instability, and neurologic deficits. Vertebral compression fractures can be a significant cause of pain and impaired function. Radiation therapy is the standard treatment for patients with spinal metastases. However, this may not be the optimal treatment by itself for some patients when immediate pain relief is desirable. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a mildly invasive treatment which involves the injection of cement, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) into a diseased vertebral body. We report a patient who presented with a severely destructive lesion and compression fracture at T9 with severe pain and impaired mobility. Percutaneous vertebroplasty provided immediate pain relief and restored structural stability of the diseased vertebra.
authors.affiliation: Rapid Response Radiotherapy Program, Odette Cancer Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chow
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: de Sa
authors.forename: Corwyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Rowsell
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Probyn
authors.forename: Monique
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Christakis
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sinclair
authors.forename: Calvin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Law
authors.forename: Joel
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Finkelstein
mesh_terms: D001843:Bone Cements; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis / Q000503:physiopathology; D010146:Pain / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000601:surgery*; D011859:Radiography; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000601:surgery*; D054854:Vertebroplasty
chemical_list: D001843:Bone Cements