Vertebral Body Stenting System for the Treatment of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture: Follow-up at 12 Months in 20 Cases

We describe our preliminary experience with the vertebral body stenting system (VBS) for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral fracture or traumatic vertebral fracture showing our clinical results at 12 months follow-up. Twenty patients (16 women, four men, mean age 71 years): four with traumatic vertebral fracture (Magerl A1 fractures) and 16 with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (VCFs) resistant to conservative therapy, were treated by vertebral body stenting system (VBS) as follows: two at level T11, four at T12, one at L1, two at L2, five at L3 and six at L4. All patients were studied by MR (protocol: sagittal T1W, T2W and T2 STIR) and MDCT with MPR reconstructions. All procedures were performed under local anesthesia with fluoroscopy guidance and a bipeduncular approach. VBS, a new system of implantation of endovertebral stent used as an alternative to conventional vertebroplasty (VP), was implanted in all patients to restore the loss of height in the fractured vertebral body. A clinical and x-ray follow-up was performed at six and 12 months evaluating the result by VAS and ODS scale. New vertebral fractures at a distant level were observed in two cases and treated by VP. VBS was successful and led to an excellent outcome in all patients with clinical improvement stable at six months and one year follow-up. The height in the fractured vertebral body was increased in 12 of the 20 VCFs by an average of 1.5 mm. No vascular, extraforaminal or epidural leakage or other adverse events were observed. In the clinical 12 months follow-up we recorded a reduction of four scores in the VAS evaluation and a 40% reduction in the ODS score compared with the pre-treatment values. Endovertebral stents were stable at 12 months at x-ray control in 19/20 patients. No new vertebral fracture located in adjacent vertebrae were observed at 12 month follow-up. By using a stent, the VBS system reduces the collapsed vertebral body and offers good height restoration. The mechanical scaffold of the stent restores the height and at the same time offers a cavity for injection of highly viscous PMMA bone cement without increasing the rate of new vertebral fracture post-VP. A long-term follow-up is recommended.