Treatment procedure in spinal metastases: the orthopedic dimension

Background. The authors have presented the results of the medical treatment of patients with metastatic disease of the spine. The aim of this treatment was to improve the patients quality of life through spinal stabilisation, maintaining neurological functions and the maximum pain relief.
Material and methods. Surgical indications included progressive, neurological deficit, fracture of vertebra, spine instability and histologic diagnosis. The patients underwent anterior, posterior or combined decompression and stabilisation procedures with the use of implants. Neurological examination of the patients has been carried out by means of Frankel grade whereas the tool for measurement of vertebra destruction was Harrington classification.
The results and the treatment for spinal metastatic tumors of the 86 patients were treated from 1997 to 2002.
There were 55 men and 33 women with a median age of 56 years. The mean survival time after surgery was 7,5 months.
Results. The improvement in neurological state of 28 in 59 patients was recorded. 11 patients have died of health conditions during the medical treatment as a consequences of the metastases.
Conclusions. The full decompression and stabilisation of the spine should be carried out in order to avoid the consequences and enable the patients to continue oncological treatment. The early diagnostic and good health conditions have been stressed. The can help in patient's qualification to surgical treatment, improve the general results of the treatment while giving the full satisfaction to the surgeon and the patient, prolonging the patient's life and improving his comfort of life by pain restriction and the protection of neurological consequences.