Evelyne Cormier

Preoperative spinal cord arteriography in aneurysmal disease of the descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aorta: preliminary results in 45 patients.

Between 1985 and 1988 45 patients with descending thoracic or thoracoabdominal aortic aneurysms underwent selective arteriography of the intercostal and lumbar arteries to delineate preoperatively the artery of Adamkiewicz and the thoracic radicular artery. Identification of these vessels failed in five patients (11%), was considered complete in 31 patients (69%) and incomplete in nine (20%). Selective arteriography classified these patients into four groups: groups A and B--the artery of Adamkiewicz arose respectively above and below the zone of operation; group C--the artery arose directly from the segment to be operated; and group D--origin could not be determined. All 30 patients in group C underwent a spinal cord revascularization procedure (complete in 20 cases, incomplete in 10). Spinal cord complications occurred in 9/45 patients (20%). No spinal cord complications occurred in groups A and B; their incidence was 5% in group C when revascularization was complete, and 50% when revascularization was incomplete; and 60% had complications in group D (p less than 0.01). Spinal cord complications were more frequent (p less than 0.05) when the artery of Adamkiewicz arose from an intercostal or lumbar artery obliterated at its aortic origin but filled through collaterals or when spinal cord circulation was interrupted for more than 45 minutes. This study confirms the importance of preserving arterial supply to the spinal cord during repair of descending thoracic and thoracoabdominal aneurysms. The information obtained from spinal cord arteriography allows the prediction of complications and informs the choice of the appropriate surgical technique.

Unusual origin of the artery of Adamkiewicz from the fourth lumbar artery.

Abstract. The main arterial supply of the dorso-lumbar spinal cord is usually derived from a single anterior radiculo-medullary artery called the artery of Adamkiewicz and referred to as having a middle or low location. In some cases, the artery origin is higher, and a vessel which arises in the lower part of the region supplements the supply of the anterior spinal artery. In the literature, those arteries have been described as arising from L3 upwards, and have never been previously described angiographically, to our knowledge, below this level, although Suh and Alexander and Gililan have mentioned this eventuality. Of the 4,000 spinal cord angiographies performed in our institution, we report three cases in which the fourth lumbar artery flows into the anterior spinal artery of the conus medullaris. This anatomical variant may explain the sometimes devastating post-operative neurological complications from a spinal cord infarction on surgery of the lumbar spine or the abdominal aorta below L3.

Percutaneous coaxial transpedicular biopsy of vertebral body lesions during vertebroplasty

Abstract We evaluated the safety and histological results of percutaneous transpedicular biopsy in patients undergoing vertebroplasty for vertebral collapse. Over a 6 year period, we carried out biopsies in 46 patients who underwent percutaneous injection of acrylic surgical cement for 57 collapsed vertebrae, because the diagnosis was not clearly established on clinical or imaging grounds. All procedures were performed under fluoroscopic guidance via a coaxial bitranspedicular approach used for vertebroplasty. We performed a clinical examination and CT after every procedure and approximately 6 months thereafter. Biopsies contributed to in 55 (96.5 %) of the 57 vertebral lesions. Biopsy material was inadequate in one case (1.7 %) and one biopsy was a false-negative (1.7 %). The accuracy of the histological results was 98.2 %, allowing a correct diagnosis in 55 of the 56 procedures. Of the 37 lesions in 28 patients with a history of a tumour, the final diagnosis was osteoporotic collapse in 25 (67.6 %), metastasis in nine (24.3 %), and myeloma in three (8.1 %). The final diagnosis in the 19 lesions in 17 patients without a known tumour was osteoporotic collapse in 12 (63.2 %), metastasis in five (26.3 %), and amyloidosis in two (10.5 %), the latter in one patient. No complications were observed.

Vertébroplastie : état de l’art

Resume Ces dix dernieres annees, la vertebroplastie dans le traitement des metastases vertebrales et les fractures osteoporotiques s’est developpee de maniere considerable. Il s’agit d’une technique de radiologie interventionnelle permettant de consolider le corps vertebral en injectant du ciment acrylique par un abord percutane realise sous controle fluoroscopique. Cette injection permet d’obtenir une stabilisation du corps vertebral, entrainant une reduction souvent tres importante des douleurs mecaniques en rapport avec la fracture ou la metastase. En outre, le ciment, du fait de la reaction exothermique qu’il developpe, en polymerisant, permet de detruire les cellules tumorales, ce qui fait envisager un traitement carcinolytique de certaines metastases. Des progres essentiels ont ete realises pour reduire la frequence des complications en rapport avec les extravasations de ciment dans les veines ou dans les parties molles. La securite du geste tient a l’experience de l’operateur mais egalement a des criteres techniques de realisation : radio-opacite optimale du ciment, installation radiologique numerisee adaptee (salle d’angiographie numerisee mono ou biplan), developpement de nouveaux ciments autres que le PMMA pour eviter le risque de refracture sur des vertebres adjacentes. Dans ces principales indications (angiomes vertebraux, metastases et fractures osteoporotiques), le taux de remission douloureuse observee apres vertebroplastie est de l’ordre de 90 a 95 % des cas. Le taux de complication s’est reduit de maniere considerable et est de l’ordre de 2 % dans les metastases et inferieur a 0,5 % dans les fractures osteoporotiques. Cette technique apparait un geste majeur de prise en charge des lesions vertebrales fragilisantes, sans avoir besoin de recourir a la kyphoplastie.

Interventional radiology for bone metastases

Interventional radiology takes a large place in the treatment of bone metastases by numerous techniques, percutaneous or endovascular. Vertebroplasty appears actually as the most important technique for stabilisation of spine metastases as it induces satisfactory stabilisation of the vertebra and offer clear improvement of the quality of life. Due to the success of this technique cementoplasty of other bones, mainly pelvic girdle, largely develop. The heath due to the polymerisation of the cement induce carcinolytic effect but this effect is not as important as that can be created with radiofrequency destruction. This last technique appears actually as the most important development to destroy definitively some bone metastases and replace progressively alcoholic destruction of such lesions. Angiographic techniques appear more confidential but endovascular embolization is very useful to diminish the risk of surgical treatment of hyper vascular metastases. Chemoembolization is actually developped to associate the relief of pain induced by endovascular embolization and the carcinolytic effect obtained by local endovascular chemotherapy. All these techniques should develop largely during the next years and their efficacy and safety should improve largely by treating earlier the metastasis.

Has the percutaneous vertebroplasty a role to prevent progression or local recurrence in spinal metastases of breast cancer

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) on the prevention of progression or local recurrence in patients with spinal metastases from breast cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS Retrospective study on 55 patients between 27-78 years of age (mean age: 55 years) treated for metastatic breast cancer in the same institution (Curie institute, Paris, France), who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) (number of vertebrae treated=137) for spinal metastases from January 2000 to December 2009 at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital. Statistical correlation between the local tumor progression/recurrence, and the presence of an epidural or a paravertebral metastatic extension at diagnosis, the rate of cement filling the lesion (<50%, ≥50% but incomplete, complete/almost complete) and radiotherapy was evaluated using Chi(2) and Fishers exact test. RESULTS The rate of local tumor progression/recurrence of the vertebrae treated by vertebroplasty was 14% (19/137). No statistically significant correlation between either the rate of cement filling of the lesion, or the presence of an epidural or paravertebral metastatic extension, and progression/local recurrence after vertebroplasty was found. No influence of radiotherapy in preventing local progression/recurrence was noted. Distant new bone metastases were observed in 47 out of 55 patients (86%). CONCLUSION The low rate of local tumor progression/recurrence after a vertebroplasty may support the hypothesis of an antitumor effect of the cement.

The Degenerative Spine

Degenerative disease of the spine is a leading cause of back pain and radiculopathy, and is a frequent indication for spine MR imaging. Disc degeneration, disc protrusion/herniation, discarhtrosis, spinal canal stenosis, and facet joint arthrosis, as well as interspinous processes arthrosis, may require an MR imaging workup. This review presents the MR imaging patterns of these diseases and describes the benefit of the MR imaging in these indications compared with the other imaging modalities like plain radiographs or computed tomography scan.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty in vertebral metastases from breast cancer: interest in terms of pain relief and quality of life.

Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PV) is a therapeutic option in patients with vertebral metastases (VM). However its efficacy in pain relief, improvement in quality of life and safety in patients with VM from breast cancer has not been reported. We present a longitudinal retrospective study of 31 consecutively treated female patients with VM from breast cancer where 88 vertebrae were treated in 44 sessions of PV, in which osteolytic, osteoblastic and mixed lesions were recorded. The visual analogue pain scale (VAS) was used to evaluate pain pre-PV, at one, three, six and 12 months post-PV. The Eastern Cooperative Group (ECOG) performance status scale was used at the same time intervals to measure quality of life: 90.3% pain relief was identified with a VAS reduction from 5.7 ± 2.0 pre-PV to 2.9 ± 2.2 post-PV at one-month follow-up (p<0.001) and 0.6 ± 1.0 at 12-month follow-up (p<0.001). In our series 48.4% of patients were classified as having an ECOG grade 0 and 1 pre-PV, which increased to 80.8% at the 12-month follow-up. While 22.6% of the patients were classified at ECOG grades 3 and 4 pre-PV, this improved to 0% at 12 months follow-up. The morbidity rate for this procedure was 12.9% immediately and only 3.2% at 30 days post-PV with all complications being resolved medically or with CT-guided infiltration. PV is a safe procedure with a high efficacy in pain relief, and improvement of quality of life in patients with diverse types of VM from breast cancer.

Transoral approach for percutaneous vertebroplasty in the treatment of osteolytic tumor lesions of the lateral mass of the atlas: feasibility and initial experience in 2 patients.

Study Design. Case series. Objective. To report our early experience of percutaneous vertebro-plasty via a transoral approach of the lesions of the lateral mass of C1. Summary of Background Data. Percutaneous vertebroplasty has gained acceptance for the treatment of osteolytic lesions of the spine. However, scant data are available on the percutaneous vertebroplasty of the C1 lesions. Methods. Two patients (a 74-yr-old female and a 53-yr-old male) presenting respectively a metastasis of the left lateral mass of C1 from a pancreatic adenocarcinoma and a hemangioma of the left lateral mass of C1 underwent a percutaneous vertebroplasty via a transoral approach in a hybrid angio suite associating a monoplane flat panel and a computed tomography scan, using polymethylmetacrilate bone cement. For the second patient, a nondetachable balloon was used to protect the vertebral artery from cement leakage. Results. Satisfactory filing of the lesions was obtained in both patients. No complication was recorded. Both patients experienced pain improvement. Conclusion. Transoral approach for the treatment of osteolytic tumor lesions of the lateral mass of the atlas is feasible and seems to be a safe and effective technique. Level of Evidence: 4

Just a drop of cement: a case of cervical spine bone aneurysmal cyst successfully treated by percutaneous injection of a small amount of polymethyl-methacrylate cement

Aneurysmal bone cyst (ABC) is a benign hemorrhagic tumor, commonly revealed by local pain. The best treatment for this lesion is still controversial. We report the case of a patient with chronic neck pain revealing an ABC of the third cervical vertebra. After percutaneous injection of a small amount of polymethyl-methacrylate bone cement, the patient experienced significant clinical and radiological improvement.