Abstract
Vertebroplasty has been developed during the last decade in France as a method to relieve pain in patients suffering from a metastatic disease of the spine, that are poor surgical candidates. The indications include: mechanical pain, compression fractures, lytic bone metastasis.
Contra-indications include neurological compromise, breaching of the posterior wall, complete pedicle destruction or a large anterior soft-tissue mass. Relative contra-indications include a single resectable metastasis and a radiation sensitive tumor.
The method has been refined during the last few years by the introduction of specialized delivery systems and tailor-made bone cements.
The state of the art of this emerging technique will be discusses as well as some exciting future developments such as cements that can actively destroy tumors by physical or chemical modifications.
The abstracts were prepared by Orah Naor. Correspondence should be addressed to him at the Israel Orthopaedic Association, PO Box 7845, Haifa 31074, Israel.
