Vertebroplasty as a Treatment for Primary Benign or Metastatic Cervical Spine Lesions: Up to One Year of Follow-up

This paper illustrates the validity of vertebroplasty (VP) in patients with primary benign or metastatic lesion in the cervical spine. From January 2006 to December 2007, ten consecutive patients were treated with VP for a total of ten vertebral bodies: two symptomatic vertebral haemangiomas at C5 and C4.3, multiple myeloma at C2 (two cases) and one case at C4, five patients with vertebral metastasis from breast or lung cancer at C2, C4 (three cases) and C5. All the patients complained of pain resistant to continuous medical management. All procedures were performed under general anaesthesia by anterolateral approach under CT or fluoroscopy control with manual dislocation of the carotid axis. A transoral approach under fluoroscopy was performed to treat the C2 lesion. Bone biopsy was never performed. VP was performed to prevent fracture after implantation of a double discal prothesis in two patients. For patients with multiple myeloma, VP was performed to prevent new vertebral fracture. VP was performed b...