Percutaneous pedicle screw fixation combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty for the treatment of thoracic and lumbar metastatic tumor

Abstract Background Evaluation of the clinical efficacy of percutaneous pedicle screw fixation (PPSF) combined with percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of thoracic and lumbar metastatic tumor.Methods 20 patients with thoracic and lumbar metastatic tumor were treated with PPSF combined with PVP and followed up 6–25 months. Using the visual analog scale (VAS) and the Barthel Index of Activities of Daily Living (BIADL) to evaluate pain intensity and quality of life before surgery and at 7 days, 3 months, 6 months after treatment.Results In this study, a total of 20 patients were followed up for 6–25 months (mean time was 14.10 months). The VAS scores of all patients were significantly decreased, while the BIADL scores were significantly increased. No patients suffered from complications such as infection, pedicle screw loosening or PMMA oozing. Spine stability was observed in all the surviving patients during the follow-up.Conclusions PPSF combined with PVP is a potentially viable treatment for thoracolumbar metastases in patients with poor systemic condition or patients who refuse to undergo a conventional open procedure such as en bloc corpectomy, and in the presence of vertebral instability or pathological fracture without significant spinal compression.