Vertebroplasty for Patients With Osteoporosis Provides Effective Pain Relief

For Best Results, Patient Selection, Correct Indications, Optimal Medical
Treatment Needed, According to a Study of Nearly 1,500 Patients Over Seven
Years

TAMPA, Fla., March 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Patient selection is key
for vertebroplasty-a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional
radiologists in individuals with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression
fractures that fail to respond to conventional medical therapy-to be effective
and successful, according to a study of more than 1,500 persons who were
followed over seven years. Additionally, collaboration between an
interventional radiologist and other medical experts in treating a patient is
imperative, say researchers at the Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th
Annual Scientific Meeting in Tampa, Fla.

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"Vertebroplasty puts lives and vertebrae back together," said Giovanni C.
Anselmetti, M.D., interventional radiologist at the Institute for Cancer
Research and Treatment in Turin, Italy. Before treatment, many osteoporotic
patients are in constant pain and cannot manage everyday activities.
Vertebroplasty, a minimally invasive treatment performed by interventional
radiologists under imaging guidance, stabilizes collapsed vertebrae with the
injection of medical-grade bone cement into the spine. The treatment provides
pain relief and improves one's quality of life-if given to appropriately
selected candidates in whom conventional medical treatment has failed (such as
analgesics or narcotic drugs that provide minimal or no pain release or doses
that are intolerable), he further explained. "Our long-term follow-up
confirmed this: pain relief and quality of life significantly improved with
vertebroplasty," said Anselmetti.

Osteoporosis, the most common type of bone disease, is characterized by low
bone mass and structural deterioration of the bone, resulting in an increased
susceptibility to fractures. Osteoporosis affects 10 million Americans and is
responsible for 700,000 vertebral fractures each year. Multiple vertebral
fractures can result in chronic pain and disability, loss of independence,
stooped posture and compression of the lungs and stomach.

"Vertebroplasty dramatically improves back pain within hours of the procedure,
provides long-term pain relief and has a low complication rate, as
demonstrated in multiple studies," said Anselmetti. Vertebroplasty provides
pain relief from the complications of osteoporosis (vertebral fractures) but
not the disease that caused it (osteoporosis), said Anselmetti. "For the best
results, collaboration between physicians is mandatory. All osteoporotic
patients need to be followed by an interventional radiologist, who determines
which patients are appropriate candidates to receive vertebroplasty treatment,
and an experienced medical expert (in this study, a rheumatologist) to ensure
continued treatment for osteoporosis," he said.

Anselmetti illustrated a typical case: an 80-year-old Italian woman, who was
diagnosed last year with two painful osteoporotic vertebral collapses,
underwent medical treatment for osteoporosis (with the drug teriparatide) and
was still in pain when she was prescribed an external brace. After there was
evidence of two new fractures (verified by MR imaging), she received
vertebroplasty, experiencing "complete pain regression, no need for the brace
and a dramatic Lazarus-like ability to perform daily activities," he noted.

Researchers studied 2,251 osteoporotic patients (1,811 women; average age, 65)
suffering from back-pain for vertebral collapses (MRI confirmed) who underwent
a clinical interview; their medical treatment, pain grade, quality of life and
extent of vertebral fracture were reviewed. Vertebroplasty was performed in
1,542 patients (1,302 women; average age, 73) when optimal medical treatment
(such as biphosphonates, teriparatide, analgesics and back brace) did not help
relieve pain or improve quality of life for patients over a three-month
period. After vertebroplasty, patients continued to receive medical treatment
with a rheumatologist. Because interventional radiologists use high-quality,
image-guiding systems (such as digital flat-panel fluoroscopy with built-in
rotational image acquisition), treatment time is decreased, making for a safer
procedure, added Anselmetti.

In 1,494 patients (96.9 percent), the average pretreatment pain score on the
11-point visual analog scale was 8.2+/-1.8, and it dropped "significantly" to
an average of 1.1+/-1.6 after vertebroplasty treatment, said Anselmetti. A
patient's ability to manage everyday life-such as washing, dressing or
standing-was measured by the commonly used Oswestry Disability Questionnaire,
which was completed by patients before and after vertebroplasty. The ODQ
scores changed from an average of 68.7+/-7.6 percent to 18.5+/-8.2 percent.
Long-term follow-up (average, 31.2 months) in 1,017 patients (857 women;
average age, 72) showed the VAS significantly dropping from 7.9+/-1.5 to
1.3+/-1.7. Of the 757 patients wearing a back brace before vertebroplasty, 683
could stop wearing one after treatment.

Anselmetti said that additional studies need to be performed, such as a large
randomized trial comparing conventional medical treatment to medical treatment
plus vertebroplasty. In Europe, this is difficult, as patients with chronic
back pain for vertebral osteoporotic fractures prefer to be treated by
vertebroplasty-and not randomized into a medical treatment-only group.
"Patients who are in so much pain ask if they can be considered for
vertebroplasty treatment," said the co-author of "Percutaneous Vertebroplasty
(PV) in the Osteoporotic Patients: Optimal Indications and Patient Selection
to Improve Clinical Outcome: Personal Experience in 1,542 Patients Over Seven
Years' Experience."

More information about the Society of Interventional Radiology, interventional
radiologists and vertebroplasty can be found online at www.SIRweb.org.

Abstract 16: "Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PV) in the Osteoporotic Patients:
Optimal Indications and Patient Selection to Improve Clinical Outcome:
Personal Experience in 1,542 Patients Over Seven Years' Experience," G.C.
Anselmetti, A. Manca, G. Chiara, G. Iussich and D. Regge, all at the Institute
for Cancer Research and Treatment, Candiolo, Italy; and G. Isaia, University
of Turin, Turin, Italy, SIR 35th Annual Scientific Meeting March 13-18,
2010, Tampa, Fla. This abstract can be found at www.SIRmeeting.org.

About the Society of Interventional Radiology

Interventional radiologists are physicians who specialize in minimally
invasive, targeted treatments. They offer the most in-depth knowledge of the
least invasive treatments available coupled with diagnostic and clinical
experience across all specialties. They use X-ray, MRI and other imaging to
advance a catheter in the body, such as in an artery, to treat at the source
of the disease internally. As the inventors of angioplasty and the
catheter-delivered stent, which were first used in the legs to treat
peripheral arterial disease, interventional radiologists pioneered minimally
invasive modern medicine. Today, interventional oncology is a growing
specialty area of interventional radiology. Interventional radiologists can
deliver treatments for cancer directly to the tumor without significant side
effects or damage to nearby normal tissue.

Many conditions that once required surgery can be treated less invasively by
interventional radiologists. Interventional radiology treatments offer less
risk, less pain and less recovery time compared to open surgery. Visit
www.SIRweb.org.

The Society of Interventional Radiology's 35th Annual Scientific Meeting is
being held March 13-18 in Tampa, Fla. The theme of the meeting is "IR
Innovation," celebrating the remarkable inventiveness of SIR members and
highlighting the contributions made to both creating the field of
interventional radiology and to improving patient care.

SOURCE Society of Interventional Radiology

Maryann Verrillo, +1-703-460-5572, Diane Shnitzler, +1-703-460-5582, March
11-12: Lisa Tadje, +1-212-453-2137, Don Murphy, +1-212-453-2462, or Neil
Hochman, +1-212-453-2067, March 13-18: Tampa Press Room, +1-813-276-6905,
+1-813-276-6906, or +1-813) 276-6912, comm@SIRweb.org, all of Society of
Interventional Radiology