Percutaneous osteoplasty for pelvic and spine metastases

Fluoroscopy and Cone-Beam CT-guided Fixation by Internal Cemented Screw for Pathologic Pelvic Fractures

Purpose To evaluate the safety and efficacy of palliative treatment of patients with pathologic pelvic by using fluoroscopy and cone-beam CT needle guidance software to perform percutaneous fixation by internal cemented screw (FICS). Materials and Methods This single-center study involved retrospective analysis of 100 consecutive patients with cancer with pathologic pelvic fractures managed with percutaneous FICS. Image guidance was performed with fluoroscopy and cone-beam CT needle guidance software. Pain palliative outcomes and opioid use after FICS were compared by means of paired-sample t test. Results A total of 107 percutaneous FICS procedures were performed from 2010 to 2017 to palliate 141 pathologic fractures in 100 patients (mean age, 65.0 years ± 17.6 [standard deviation; female age, 66.3 years ± 18.0; mean, 63.7 years ± 17.2]). Of 107 procedures, 104 (97.2%) were technically successful, with mean postprocedure hospitalization of 2 days ± 3. Complications occurred in 14 patients: focal pain at procedure site for longer than 48 hours (n = 5), hematoma (n = 3), progressive fracture despite fixation (n = 2), infection (n = 1), tumor track seeding (n = 1), and screw displacement (n = 2). In the 88 patients who completed early follow-up, mean numeric rating scale pain score was significantly improved at 6 weeks from 6.1 ± 2.5 to 2.1 ± 3.0 (P < .001). Opioid use was reduced at 6 weeks (preprocedure vs postprocedure, 91.3 g ± 121 vs 64.6 g ± 124, respectively; P = .04). Conclusion Fluoroscopy and cone-beam CT-guided percutaneous fixation of pathologic pelvis fractures by internal cemented screw is a safe and effective approach that can reduce pain and opioid use. © RSNA, 2018.

Modern Palliative Treatments for Metastatic Bone Disease: Awareness of Advantages, Disadvantages, and Guidance

BACKGROUND

Metastatic disease is the most common malignancy of the bone. Prostate, breast, lung, kidney, and thyroid cancer account for 80% of skeletal metastases. Bone metastases are associated with significant skeletal morbidity including severe bone pain, pathologic fractures, spinal cord or nerve roots compression, and malignant hypercalcemia. These events compromise greatly the quality of life of the patients. The treatment of cancer patients with bone metastases is mostly aimed at palliation.

OBJECTIVE

This article aims to present these palliative treatments for the patients with bone metastases, summarize the clinical applications, and review the techniques and results.

METHODS

It gives an extensive overview of the possibilities of palliation in patients with metastatic cancer to the bone.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Currently, modern treatments are available for the palliative management of patients with metastatic bone disease. These include modern radiation therapy, chemotherapy, embolization, electrochemotherapy, radiofrequency ablation, and high-intensity focused ultrasound. As such it is of interest for all physicians with no experience with these developments to make palliative procedures safer and more reliable.

Metastases of the pelvis: does resection improve survival?

Limited data are available to compare the outcome of wide en bloc resection and curettage for pelvic metastases. Previous studies have reported that curettage is associated with high mortality and decreased survival compared to wide resection and have justified consideration of a radical surgical approach to achieve pain palliation and tumor control. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the role of curettage/marginal resection compared to wide en bloc resection for patients with pelvic metastases. The hypothesis was that wide resection does not improve survival even in patients with solitary pelvic metastases.Between 1985 and 2009, twenty-one patients with pelvic metastases were treated with wide resection (12 patients) and curettage/marginal resection (9 patients) and adjuvants. Sixteen patients had solitary pelvic metastases. At a mean of 28 months (range, 2-152 months), we found no difference in survival to death or local recurrence with wide en bloc resection compared to curettage or marginal resection, even in patients with solitary pelvic metastases. The overall survival to death and local recurrence was 30% and 47% at 60 months, respectively. Survival to death of patients treated with wide resection was 18% at 60 months compared to 62% at 60 months of patients treated with curettage/marginal resection; no difference in survival to death between wide resection and curettage/marginal resection was observed even in patients with solitary pelvic metastases. Survival to local recurrence of patients treated with wide en bloc resection was 67% at 36 months compared to 26% at 36 months of patients treated with curettage/marginal resection; this was also not statistically significant. One patient treated with wide resection for a solitary pelvic metastasis had a postoperative complication.

Percutaneous osteoplasty for hypervascular bone metastasis

We report three cases of percutaneous osteoplasty for the treatment of hypervascular bone metastasis. Four hypervascular bone metastases were treated in three consecutive patients by percutaneous osteoplasty under fluoroscopic or computed tomographic guidance. Primary malignant tumors included pheochromocytoma and renal cell carcinoma. Pain relief after osteoplasty was achieved in all three patients. There was no major complication. Projectile bleeding and subcutaneous hematoma were noted during or after osteoplasty but were easily controlled conservatively. Percutaneous osteoplasty for hypervascular bone metastases is not only a highly effective but also a minimally invasive technique that provides immediate pain relief without major complication.

Evaluation and treatment of pelvic metastases

Advances in systemic treatment of cancer have improved patients' survival and increased the number of patients presenting with metastases of the pelvic ring. Pelvic metastatic lesions may cause severe pain and functional disability. A multidisciplinary approach is fundamental for the management of these lesions. Lesions of the pelvis not directly involving the hip joint such as the ischium, pubis or sacroiliac area can generally be treated non-operatively with radiation alone or using minimally invasive procedures of radiofrequency ablation, cryosurgery and percutaneous osteoplasty. Periacetabular destructive lesions may require total hip replacement with reconstruction of the acetabulum dependent on the extent of the defect. Operative treatment should restore the mechanical stability of the hip joint, and preserve the mobility, independence and comfort of these patients.