 |
- Home
- Clinical Perspectives
- Business Perspectives
- Patient Care
- CME
- Community
- Products
- Careers
- Contact Us
SIR: Studies Show Benefits of Vertebroplasty in Two Groups Publish date: Mar 16, 2010  TUESDAY, March 16 (HealthDay News) -- Vertebroplasty is associated with reduced pain and disability in patients with osteoporosis
and vertebral collapse, and is also useful in treating vertebral compression fractures in patients with multiple myeloma,
according to research presented at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society of Interventional Radiology, held from March
13 to 18 in Tampa, Fla. Giovanni C. Anselmetti, M.D., of the Institute for Cancer Research and Treatment in Turin, Italy, and colleagues analyzed
data from 1,542 patients with osteoporosis and magnetic resonance imaging-confirmed vertebral collapse who underwent vertebroplasty.
All had tried three months of optimal medical treatment that didn't relieve pain or improve quality of life. Oswestry Disability
Questionnaire scores dropped from 68.7 before the procedure to 18.5 after the procedure. Over an average follow-up of 31.2
months, scores on an 11-point visual analog scale dropped from 7.9 to 1.3. Of 757 patients needing a back brace before the
procedure, 683 stopped wearing one after treatment. In a second study, Eren Erdem, M.D., of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, and colleagues
analyzed data from 792 patients with multiple myeloma who had 2,258 non-osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures treated
with vertebroplasty and 457 treated with kyphoplasty. Their pain intensity score on an 11-point visual analog scale dropped
from 7 to 2.7. Thirty-seven percent reported using less medication, and 48 percent reported improvement in their activity
level after the procedure. "Vertebral compression fractures are very common in patients with multiple myeloma and cause severe pain and debilitation.
In our study, patients' pain from their spinal fractures was significantly reduced following vertebroplasty, resulting in
about a 40 percent reduction in the use of narcotics for pain control," Erdem noted in a published statement. Abstract - Anselmetti Copyright © 2010 HealthDay. All rights reserved. | Featured Jobs Practice Tools Coding Counselor Simple and accurate ICD-9 code search. Start Here  Patient Education Print customized patient education handouts. Start Here  Dermatology Diagnosis Identify skin diseases by age, gender, location. Start Here  AHRQ Clinical Guidelines Objective findings on medical interventions. Start Here     |
