OBJECTIVE: To present the authors' experience at the Portuguese Hospital in Bahia, Brazil, with the percutaneous vertebroplasty, showing the clinical and radiographic evolution of the patients. METHODS: Retrospective analysis of the data of 25 patients with compression fracture of the vertebrae, five male and 25 female, ages ranging from 65 to 88 years, submitted to percutaneous vertebroplasty between 2003 and 2006. Results and complications were observed. Inclusion criteria were: intense pain in the spinal column with functional inability as a result of a frequent fracture; failure of the conservative treatment analgesic medication and physiotherapy and patients with clinical stability compatible with submission to anesthetic procedure. 22 of the patients had osteoporotic fractures, one had hemangioma, another had a fracture due to a lymphoma, and two had vertebral fracture due to multiple myeloma. Patients were followed weekly during the first month, and then at three month intervals for a minimum of 12 months and a maximum of 36 months after the percutaneous procedure. Evaluation of pain, daily life activities, and the need to take analgesic medication was performed by one of the authors, based on a subjective questionnaire previously prepared for that purpose. RESULTS: Excellent to good clinical results were seen in 23 patients (92%) and regular to poor results were seen in two patients (8%). Deterioration due to complication was seen in one case. All patients (100%) returned to their prior activities; four patients (16%) changed the practice of their daily life activities. CONCLUSION: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive surgical technique that in our series had quick and meaningful pain relief and improvement in the quality of daily life activities of the patients submitted to this procedure.
Spine fracture; Osteoporosis; Spinal column
