Percutaneous vertebroplasty in osteoporotic patients: an institutional experience of 1,634 patients with long-term follow-up.

Purpose: To assess long-term clinical outcome of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV).

Materials And Methods: PV was performed in 1,634 patients (1,387 women; median age 73 years ± 9.3) with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs).

Intraoperative epidural analgesia prevents the early proinflammatory response to surgical trauma. Results from a prospective randomized clinical trial of intraoperative epidural versus general analgesia.

Background: The intraoperative epidural analgesia (EA) has the potential to reduce stress response to surgical trauma which induces a transient immunoactivation that has a negative impact on the outcome. This study investigates the effect of intraoperative EA versus intravenous analgesia (IA) on the immune function.

Methods: A total of 35 consecutive patients candidated to undergo major surgery for colon cancer were randomly assigned to intraoperative EA (n = 18) or IA (n = 17).

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in multiple myeloma: prospective long-term follow-up in 106 consecutive patients.

Purpose: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is a minimally invasive procedure involving the injection of bone cement within a collapsed vertebral body. Although this procedure was demonstrated to be effective in osteoporosis and metastases, few studies have been reported in cases of multiple myeloma (MM). We prospectively evaluated the safety and efficacy of PV in the treatment of vertebral compression fractures (VCFs) resulting from MM.

Long-term continuous subcutaneous infusion of ketoprofen combined with morphine: a safe and effective approach to cancer pain.

Objectives: According to international guidelines, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids are the cornerstone drugs for cancer pain. In clinical practice, severe cancer pain often requires 3 step analgesics and alternative routes of administration, thus NSAIDs are usually abandoned. Our aim was to evaluate feasibility, safety, and efficacy of ketoprofen combined with opioids in long-term continuous subcutaneous infusion (CSI) for cancer pain in a prospective observational open-label pilot study.

Treatment of extraspinal painful bone metastases with percutaneous cementoplasty: a prospective study of 50 patients.

The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of percutaneous cementoplasty (PC) with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) in painful extravertebral lytic bone metastases not responding to conventional therapy. Fifty patients (25 females), mean age 64.7 +/- 11.

Treatment of painful compression vertebral fractures with vertebroplasty: results and complications.

Aim: The aim of this paper is to assess the effectiveness and safety of percutaneous vertebroplasty in patients with focal pain caused by compression vertebral body fractures.

Materials And Methods: Over an eleven-month period 49 patients underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty, of which seven were retreated, for a total of 56 operations on 108 vertebrae. The patients were affected by osteoporotic compression fractures (n=28) or by benign and malignant infiltrative processes (n=21).