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Effective, Non-Invasive Pain Relief for Osteoporosis
Reported March 19, 2010
(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Vertebroplasty, a minimally invasive treatment,
offers new hope for those suffering the ravages of osteoporosis, the most
common type of bone disease.
Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans and is responsible for 700,000
vertebral fractures each year. Multiple vertebral fractures can result in
chronic pain and disability, loss of independence, stooped posture and
compression of the lungs and stomach.
"Vertebroplasty puts lives and vertebrae back together," Giovanni C.
Anselmetti, M.D., interventional radiologist at the Institute for Cancer
Research and Treatment in Turin, Italy, was quoted as saying. Before
treatment, many osteoporotic patients are in constant pain and cannot manage
everyday activities. Vertebroplasty, a treatment performed by interventional
radiologists under imaging guidance, stabilizes collapsed vertebrae with the
injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine. The treatment
provides pain relief and improves one's quality of life -- if given to
appropriately selected candidates in whom conventional medical treatment has
failed.
"Vertebroplasty dramatically improves back pain within hours of the
procedure, provides long-term pain relief and has a low complication rate,
as demonstrated in multiple studies," said Anselmetti.
While vertebroplasty provides pain relief from vertebral fractures, it does
not treat the disease that caused them -- osteoporosis, said Anselmetti.
"For the best results, collaboration between physicians is mandatory. All
osteoporotic patients need to be followed by an interventional radiologist,
who determines which patients are appropriate candidates to receive
vertebroplasty treatment, and an experienced medical expert (in this study,
a rheumatologist) to ensure continued treatment for osteoporosis," he said.
Anselmetti illustrated a typical case: an 80-year-old Italian woman, who was
diagnosed with two painful osteoporotic vertebral collapses, underwent
medical treatment for osteoporosis with the drug teriparatide and was still
in pain when she was prescribed an external brace. After there was evidence
of two new fractures, she received vertebroplasty, experiencing "complete
pain regression, no need for the brace and a dramatic Lazarus-like ability
to perform daily activities."
Researchers studied 2,251 osteoporotic patients suffering from back-pain for
vertebral collapses who underwent a clinical interview and a review of their
medical treatment, pain grade, quality of life and extent of vertebral
fracture. Vertebroplasty was performed in 1,542 patients when optimal
medical treatment such as biphosphonates, teriparatide, analgesics and back
brace did not relieve pain or improve quality of life for patients over a
three-month period. After vertebroplasty, patients continued to receive
medical treatment with a rheumatologist.
"Our long-term follow-up confirmed this," said Anselmetti, "pain relief and
quality of life significantly improved with vertebroplasty."
SOURCE: Presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual
Scientific Meeting, Tampa, FL, March 15, 2010 |
