The potential benefits of vesselplasty for the treatment of spinal fractures are highlighted in a recent study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.  Patients treated with vesselplasty, including some with multiple myeloma, experienced significant reductions in pain, immobility, and the use of painkillers.

Spinal fractures, also known as collapsed vertebrae or vertebral compression fractures, can develop in multiple myeloma patients who suffer from bone weakening.

Vesselplasty is a minimally invasive, image-guided surgical procedure that has emerged as an alternative to the conventional treatments of vertebroplasty ^[1] and kyphoplasty ^[2].  A major advantage of vesselplasty is that it reduces leakage of cement out of the vertebral body, which is known to occur in both conventional treatments.  Leakage can trigger additional fractures in adjacent vertebral bodies.

In this study, 29 patients underwent vesselplasty treatment, seven of which had multiple fractures.  Of the 37 procedures performed, spinal fractures were caused by osteoporosis in 27 cases (73 percent), high-impact trauma in five (13.5 percent), multiple myeloma in three (8 percent), and metastatic fracture in two (5.4 percent).

Patients were scored before and after treatment on pain, mobility, and the need for painkillers.  Pain decreased from 8.72 to 3.38 after treatment, mobility impairment dropped from 2.31 to 0.59, and use of painkillers fell from 3.07 to 1.86.  All values were statistically significant, and no clinical complications arose.

The results of this study suggest that vesselplasty offers considerable improvements in pain, mobility, and use of painkillers in patients with spinal fractures.  The authors assert that the procedure is a safe and effective alternative to conventional spinal fracture treatments.

For more information, please see the study in the American Journal of Roentgenology (abstract ^[3]).