Effectiveness of percutaneous vertebroplasty in patients with multiple myeloma having vertebral pain

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a hematologic malignancy characterized by lytic bone lesions and is usually with vertebral involvement. At the time of diagnosis, vertebral involvement is present in approximately 60% of patients (1). Pathologic vertebral fractures can easily occur in MM. Spinal instability, back pain, neurologic dysfunction and physical symptoms can be observed in patients with MM due to vertebral fractures. As a result, the quality of life of patients is affected significantly. A variety of contemporary therapeutic approaches are available for vertebral involvement in MM. These approaches are chemotherapy, radiotherapy, radioisotope therapy, bisphosphonate therapy, algological treatment and palliative/stabilization surgery. Risks of spinal instability and neural compression can be high with conservative treatment options. While surgery can be suitable for patients with neural compression, its complication rates are high (2). Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is a minimally invasive treatment method. PV is used to treat back pain caused by vertebral involvement due to osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures, metastasis, multiple myeloma, and aggressive hemangioma (3). PV increases spinal stability by preventing vertebral collapse (2). PV was originally used for treatment of painful vertebral hemangioma by Galibert et al. (4). In several studies, it was reported that PV prevented vertebral height loss and reduced patient pain and need of analgesia use in patients with vertebral involvement due to osteoporosis and metastasis (5–8). PV usage is gradually increasing for vertebral involvement due to MM. However, data on PV usage for MM is limited in the literature (8). PV is preferred because it is more easily performed than surgery, more effective, and has lower rates of serious complications. The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness, benefits, and reliability of PV in patients with vertebral involvement of MM.