title: Added value of percutaneous vertebroplasty: effects on respiratory function.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of our study was to investigate the effects of percutaneous vertebroplasty on respiratory function in patients with compression fractures caused by osteoporosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ninety-eight patients (87 women, 11 men; mean age, 74 years; age range, 60-90 years) with compression fractures of 75 thoracic (Th7-Th12) and 89 lumbar (L1-L5) vertebrae were enrolled in this study. Percentage vital capacity (VC%), percentage forced vital capacity (FVC%), and percentage forced expiratory volume in 1 second (%FEV1) were measured using a spirometer before, 1 day after, and 1 month after percutaneous vertebroplasty. The Wilcoxon signed rank test was used to evaluate whether any significant differences in VC%, FVC%, or %FEV1 values existed between before, 1 day after, and 1 month after percutaneous vertebroplasty.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The VC% and FVC% values had improved significantly by 1 month after percutaneous vertebroplasty compared with before percutaneous vertebroplasty (p<0.01). No significant difference was noted between values before and 1 day after percutaneous vertebroplasty. Likewise, no significant difference was identified in %FEV1 before percutaneous vertebroplasty and either 1 day or 1 month after percutaneous vertebroplasty. The mean degree of improvement in VC% values after percutaneous vertebroplasty for patients with one vertebra treated, which we refer to as the "single-vertebroplasty" group, and for patients with two or more vertebrae treated, or "multiple-vertebroplasty" group, was 1.1%±7% (SD) and 6.3%±8%, respectively, representing a significant difference between groups (p=0.01). The mean VC% values before and 1 month after percutaneous vertebroplasty differed significantly (p=0.02) in the thoracic group and overlapping group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Percutaneous vertebroplasty improves restrictive ventilatory impairment, but this improvement requires approximately 1 month to occur. Greater improvement in restrictive ventilatory dysfunction was observed in patients who underwent multiple vertebroplasty procedures than those who underwent a single procedure and in patients who underwent treatment of thoracic vertebrae than those who underwent treatment of other vertebrae.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Kansai Medical University, Hirakata Hospital, 2-3-1 Shinmachi, Hirakata, Osaka 573-1191, Japan. tanigano@hirakata.kmu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tanigawa
authors.forename: Shuji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kariya
authors.forename: Atsushi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Komemushi
authors.forename: Miyuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakatani
authors.forename: Rie
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Yagi
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sawada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010024:Osteoporosis / Q000150:complications*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000209:etiology* / Q000601:surgery*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000293:injuries; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D054854:Vertebroplasty / Q000379:methods*