Safety and Clinical Effectiveness of Percutaneous Vertebroplasty in the Elderly (≥80 years)

To evaluate the safety and clinical effectiveness of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in patients aged 80 and over.

One hundred and seventy-three patients (127 women, 46 men; mean age = 84.2y) underwent 201 PVP procedures (391 vertebrae) in our institution from June 2008 to March 2012. One hundred and twenty-six patients (73 %) had osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCF), 36 (20.5 %) were treated for tumour lesions, and the remaining 11 (6.5 %) for lesions from another cause. Comorbidities and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) scores were assessed before treatment. Periprocedural and delayed complications were systematically recorded. A qualitative scale was used to evaluate pain relief at 1-month follow-up, ranging from significant pain worsening to marked improvement or disappearance. New fracture occurrence was assessed on follow-up imaging.

Forty-five percent of patients had pretreatment ASA class scores ≥3. No major complication occurred. Pain was unchanged in 16.9 % of cases, mildly improved in 31.5 %, and disappeared in 47.8 %. We identified 27 (11 %) symptomatic new VCFs in patients with osteoporosis on follow-up imaging. The mean delay in diagnosis of new fractures was 5 ± 8.7 months.

Even in the elderly, PVP remains a safe and effective technique for pain relief, independently of the underlying disease.

• Post-PVP pain improvement was observed in 79.3 % of elderly patients. • PVP remains a safe technique in elderly patients. • No decompensation of comorbidity was observed in our series.