title: Percutaneous ablative treatment of metastatic bone tumours: visual analogue scale scores in a short-term series.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The aim of this study was to examine the role of palliative percutaneous secondary lesions bone treatment by comparing the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores of cryoablation plus vertebroplasty versus radiofrequency (RF) plus vertebroplasty so as to determine their feasibility, reliability and efficacy in a short-term series.
  
  
  METHODS
  Combined RF thermal ablation plus osteoplasty or cryoablation plus osteoplasty was performed in osteolytic secondary bone localisations in 30 consecutive patients who were suffering from pain refractory to conservative therapies. We evaluated pain with the VAS during the preoperative period and at four hours, 24 hours, one week, one month, three months and six months post procedure.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no statistically significant differences in the VAS score between patients treated with cryoablation plus osteoplasty and those treated with RF ablation plus osteoplasty at one week (p-value is 0.34), one month (p-value is 1), three months (p-value is 0.68) and six months (p-value is 0.65) post procedure. Patients treated with cryoablation plus vertebroplasty have less pain at four hours (p-value less than 0.001) and 24 hours (p-value less than 0.001) than patients treated with RF ablation plus vertebroplasty.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both RF ablation and cryoablation are optimal techniques in the treatment of painful bone metastatic cancer. Cryoablation achieves less treatment-related pain during the early period of follow-up and better volume control by real-time depiction of ablation margins.
authors: Department of Diagnostic Imaging and Interventional Radiology, Molecular Imaging and Radiotheraphy, Policlinico Universitario Tor Vergata, Roma 00133, Italy.
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Masala
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Guglielmi
authors: M C
authors: MC
authors: Petrella
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Mastrangeli
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Meschini
authors: G C
authors: GC
authors: Anselmetti
authors: D A
authors: DA
authors: Bartolucci
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Mammucari
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Manenti
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Simonetti
mesh_terms: D000279:Administration, Cutaneous; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000465:Algorithms; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D003452:Cryosurgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015233:Models, Statistical; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D010014:Osteolysis / Q000628:therapy; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011846:Radio Waves; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D054854:Vertebroplasty