title: Percutaneous Vertebroplasty for Pathological Vertebral Compression Fractures Secondary to Multiple Myeloma--Medium-Term and Long-Term Assessment of Pain Relief and Quality of Life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In patients with multiple myeloma (MM) there is a high risk of compression fractures of the spine. In the majority of cases, the method of treatment is percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) or kyphoplasty (PK). The number of studies verifying their efficacy in MM is still relatively small.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study has been to assess medium- and long-term pain relief as well as improvement in the quality of life (QL) after PV in MM cases.
  
  
  METHODS
  There was a prospective group of 34 MM cases in which a total of 131 vertebral bodies were augmented by means of PV. It was possible to follow up 22 patients who agreed to take part in the assessment. Their level of daily activity and the level of pain were assessed using the Oswestry Back Pain scale and a visual analogue scale (VAS) before PV and at a later date (medium-term follow up was a mean of 10 months after the last operation). Five out of eight cases in which 4.5-5 years had elapsed since the first PV were tested again (long-term follow-up).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Relief of pain and improvement of QL, assessed a mean of 10 months after PV, proved to be statistically significant. On the average, pain decreased by 4.7 points as measured on the VAS scale and the average improvement in the QL measured on the Oswestry scale was 27.7%. There were no neurological or general complications. After 4.5-5 years, there has not been any significant change in the level of pain relief or the improvement in the QL in the 5 cases in which long-term assessment was possible.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In MM cases, PV is a simple, effective and safe method for the treatment of vertebral infiltration and compression fractures, giving permanent long-term pain relief and concomitant improvement in the QL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Artur
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jurczyszyn
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, St. Raphael's Hospital, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Czepko
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, St. Raphael's Hospital, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Mariusz
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Banach
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, St. Raphael's Hospital, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Bartosz
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Godlewski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, St. Raphael's Hospital, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Ryszard Adam
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Czepko
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, St. Raphael's Hospital, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Przemysław
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Masłowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Hematology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Kraków, Poland.
authors.forename: Aleksander B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Skotnicki
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001416:Back Pain / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D005260:Female; D050815:Fractures, Compression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D005598:Fractures, Spontaneous / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D016103:Spinal Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D054854:Vertebroplasty / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*