Procedure To Cement Spine Now Simpler

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Date:   Posted 6/7/2002

Procedure To Cement Spine Now Simpler

s Hopkins interventional radiologists have demonstrated that cement can

be injected into the spine without prior, potentially dangerous dye studies.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV), injecting cement into the spine to bolster

it and relieve pain caused by tumors, compression fractures or other spinal

damage, is usually done in tandem with venography, fluoroscopic imaging of

the vertebral venous system using a contrast agent.

While venography helps clinicians identify potential sites of cement leakage

into the vertebral venous system, it uses a contrast agent to improve

imaging that can cause severe allergic reactions or pool in the treated

area, making it more difficult for radiologists to monitor the cement

injection.

According to a Hopkins study published in the June issue of the American

Journal of Neuroradiology, however, venography prior to PV may not be

necessary. The study team led by Kieran J. , M.D., director of

interventional neuroradiology, found that in 205 consecutive PV procedures

without venography, there were no major complications or cement leakage,

showing PV can be performed in most cases without venography.

" Any time we can simplify a procedure and reduce the risk of complications

without compromising the efficacy of the treatment, we have created a

win-win situation, " says. " Our results strongly suggest that

percutaneous vertebroplasty can be performed safely without the need for

this type of imaging. "

In the study, the researchers performed 205 consecutive PVs in 137 patients

without pretreatment venography. Patients were evaluated for complications

linked to bone cement injection. No major complications were observed. The

three minor complications that occurred were not linked to cement leakage.

More than 80 percent of the patients experienced major pain relief as a

result of the procedure, according to .