A new study published in The Spine Journal examines the short term percutaneous pedicle screw fixation with cement augmentation for patients with tumor-induced spinal instability.
The researchers examined 44 consecutive patients who underwent the cement-augmented percutaneous spinal fixation for unstable tumors. The patients were treated 2011 to 2014 and the researchers gathered the retrospective analysis of prospectively-collected data.
Here are five key findings from the study:
1. The average composite Spinal Instability Neoplastic Score of 10. The range of scores was eight to 15 and they were treated with constructs spanning one to four disc spaces.
2. The patients suffering severe pain decreased from 86 percent preoperatively to 0 percent postoperatively, with 65 percent reporting no referable instability pain postoperatively.
3. There was one patient who had asymptomatic screw pull-out and one adjacent-level fracture responsive to kyphoplasty.
4. There was no perioperative morbidity for any of the patients. There were two patients who needed decompression in disease progression setting despite radiation.
5. The researchers concluded, "Percutaneous cement-augmented posterolateral spinal fixation is a safe and effective option for palliation of appropriately-selected mechanically-unstable VCF that extend into pedicle and/or joint."