nitinol and Spinal-Fractures

This report details a trial demonstrating the viability of a blunt-tipped curved needle for use as a cement injection device for vertebral body augmentation. Between January and September 2007, 17 consecutive patients (eight men and nine women; average age, 76 years; age range, 52-97 years) underwent vertebral body augmentation with a blunt-tipped curved nitinol injection needle via a single pedicle to treat pain due to acute vertebral body compression fractures. All patients were successfully treated without complication. The results of the trial demonstrate that a curved blunt-tipped nitinol needle is a viable alternative to a rigid injection cannula when performing vertebral body augmentation with cement.

Topics: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Alloys; Back Pain; Bone Cements; Equipment Design; Female; Fractures, Compression; Humans; Injections; Lumbar Vertebrae; Male; Middle Aged; Needles; Pain Measurement; Pilot Projects; Prospective Studies; Radiography, Interventional; Spinal Fractures; Thoracic Vertebrae; Treatment Outcome; Vertebroplasty

This study was designed to assess the clinical outcomes of patients treated by vertebral augmentation with nitinol endoprosthesis (VNE) to treat painful vertebral compression fractures.. Forty patients with one or more painful osteoporotic VCF, confirmed by MRI and accompanied by back-pain unresponsive to a minimum 2 months of conservative medical treatment, underwent VNE at 42 levels. Preoperative and postoperative pain measured with Visual Analog Scale (VAS), disability measured by Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and vertebral height restoration (measured with 2-dimensional reconstruction CT) were compared at last follow-up (average follow-up 15 months). Cement extravasation, subsequent fractures, and implant migration were recorded.. Long-term follow-up was obtained in 38 of 40 patients. Both VAS and ODI significantly improved from a median of 8.0 (range 5-10) and 66 % (range 44-88 %) to 0.5 (range 0-8) and 6 % (range 6-66 %), respectively, at 1 year (p < 0.0001). Vertebral height measurements comparing time points increased in a statistically significant manner (ANOVA, p < 0.001). Overall cement extravasation rate was 9.5 %. Discal and venous leakage rates were 7.1 and 0 % respectively. No symptomatic extravasations occurred. Five of 38 (13.1 %) patients experienced new spontaneous, osteoporotic fractures. No device change or migration was observed.. VNE is a safe and effective procedure that is able to provide long-lasting pain relief and durable vertebral height gain with a low rate of new fractures and cement leakages.

Topics: Aged; Alloys; Bone Cements; Disability Evaluation; Female; Fluoroscopy; Follow-Up Studies; Fractures, Compression; Humans; Male; Osteoporotic Fractures; Pain Measurement; Prostheses and Implants; Radiography, Interventional; Retrospective Studies; Spinal Fractures; Tomography, X-Ray Computed; Treatment Outcome