Taiji Kondo

Optimal schedule of preoperative embolization for spinal metastasis surgery.

Study Design. A retrospective study. Objective. To investigate the relationship between intraoperative blood loss during spinal metastasis surgery and the surgical delay after preoperative embolization. Summary of Background Data. Delaying surgery after embolization is thought to diminish its effectiveness because of revascularization, but there has been no scientific study that supports this hypothesis. Methods. We reviewed data from 66 consecutive posterior palliative decompression surgical procedures for spinal metastasis from thyroid and renal cell carcinoma (39 thyroid and 27 renal) in 58 patients between 2004 and 2012. All patients underwent preoperative angiography. The timing of preoperative embolization was determined on the basis of the operating room and interventional radiologist schedules. Excluding one case who did not receive embolization due to lack of hypervascularity, we analyzed 65 cases to compare intraoperative blood loss according to the completeness of embolization and the time lapse between embolization and surgery. Results. Surgical procedures were performed on the same day of embolization in 21 cases (same day-group), and on the next day after embolization in 39 cases (next-day group). Five surgical procedures were performed 2 days later. The intraoperative blood loss was significantly lesser with complete embolization than with partial embolization (mean ± standard deviation: 809 ± 835 vs. 1210 ± 904 mL, P = 0.03). Among those with complete embolization, the intraoperative blood loss as well as the perioperative transfusion requirement was significantly lesser in the same-day group than in the next-day group (mean ± standard deviation: blood loss: 433 ± 376 vs. 1012 ± 974 mL, P = 0.01; transfusion requirement: 1.5 ± 1.7 vs. 4.2 ± 4.1 units, P = 0.04). Conclusion. Preoperative embolization showed greater effectiveness in reducing intraoperative blood loss when surgery for spinal metastasis was performed on the same day than when surgery was delayed. Surgery should be performed on the same day of embolization if possible. Level of Evidence: 4

Intraoperative radiotherapy combined with posterior decompression and stabilization for non-ambulant paralytic patients due to spinal metastasis.

Study Design. Retrospective examination of 96 nonambulant paralytic patients with spinal cord compression caused by metastatic cancer treated with intraoperative radiotherapy combined with conventional posterior surgery. Objective. To improve local control of spinal metastasis by conducting posterior surgery combined with intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) in patients with severe neurologic deficits. Summary of Background Data. Few studies of conventional posterior surgery demonstrated satisfactory neurologic recovery for nonambulant paralytic patients with advanced spinal metastases. Methods. Ninety-six patients underwent IORT (107 procedures) for the treatment of severe spinal cord compression because of spinal metastases. All patients were nonambulatory before surgery. Eighty-three cases (86%) were in an advanced stage of multiple spinal metastases (types 6 or 7 of the surgical classification of vertebral tumors). After posterior decompression, a single large dose of electron beam irradiation was delivered to the exposed metastatic lesion while the spinal cord was protected using a lead shield. Posterior instrumentation was also performed for most patients. Results. Ninety-five of 107 cases (89%) obtained at least one level of neurologic improvement according to Frankel’s classification and 86 cases (80%) became ambulatory after surgery. The main factors related to a nonambulatory status after surgery were preoperative neurologic status, performance status, and the presence of internal organ metastases. Of 86 postoperative ambulatory cases, only 3 became nonambulatory because of local recurrence during the follow-up period. Conclusion. The IORT procedure is a useful technique for the treatment of spinal cord compression because of spinal metastasis, offering significant neurologic recovery and a low rate of local recurrence.

Results of posterior surgery with intraoperative radiotherapy for spinal metastases

Object: Spinal cord compression from spinal metastasis represents a substantial clinical problem. Complete resection of spinal metastases is difficult in many cases, and conventional surgical decompression of the spinal cord with or without instrumentation often results in unsatisfactory neurological recovery and local recurrence, even if combined with external radiotherapy. To increase rates of local control and improve neurological recovery in such cases, we introduced decompressive surgery combined with intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for the treatment of spinal metastasis in 1992. We report the results of neurological recovery and local control in cases that received surgery with IORT. Methods: Between November 1992 and December 2001, 133 cases (117 patients) were treated using IORT at Tokyo Metropolitan Komagome Hospital. The 79 cases (74 patients) that received posterior spine surgery only for spinal paresis due to spinal metastasis were reviewed. Results: Improvement of at least one level according to Frankel’s classification was attained in 68 cases (86%). Of the 58 patients unable to walk preoperatively, 45 patients (78%) regained walking ability postoperatively. Rate of local recurrence was 2.5%. Conclusions: IORT, combined with posterior surgery and FERT, might be one of the effective methods for local control of spinal metastasis and neurological improvement, especially in cases with progressive and multi-level lesions.

META: an MRI-based scoring system differentiating metastatic from osteoporotic vertebral fractures

BACKGROUND CONTEXT Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is useful for the differential diagnosis of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) and metastatic vertebral fractures (MVFs), but no single finding is absolutely conclusive. PURPOSE The purpose of the present study was to create a scoring system to facilitate the correct diagnosis of MVFs by integrating several MRI findings. STUDY DESIGN This is a retrospective and single-center observational study that attempts to create a diagnostic scoring system by discriminant analysis. PATIENTS SAMPLE We included 100 OVFs and 100 MVFs in thoracolumbar vertebrae of which MR images were obtained within 60 days from the suspected time of fractures. OUTCOME MEASURES The sensitivity and specificity of known important MRI findings were assessed, and the classification accuracy of the scoring system was investigated. METHODS Seven MRI findings of these fractures were analyzed to evaluate their sensitivity and specificity. Using these findings as variables, discriminant analysis was performed in 140 fractures as a training set, and the classification accuracy was calculated in the remaining 60 fractures as a test set. Additionally, the images of these 60 fractures were reviewed by another blinded reviewer to investigate the interobserver reliability of each finding. RESULTS All findings had high specificity with low-to-moderate sensitivity. Eight variables were selected in the final discriminant function. A simpler scoring system (MRI Evaluation Totalizing Assessment [META]) was created by approximating the coefficients and the constant term by integral numbers. The classification accuracy was calculated to be 96.6% in the test set. The interobserver reliability of the key findings varied, but the final discrimination conducted by META had the high agreement between the two reviewers (κ=0.93). CONCLUSIONS This novel scoring system, META, could prove to be a useful tool for the differential diagnosis of OVFs and MVFs. It is simple and physician friendly, yet highly accurate.

White Blood Cell Count and C-Reactive Protein Variations Following Posterior Surgery with Intraoperative Radiotherapy for Spinal Metastasis.

Study Design: Retrospective case series. Objective: To evaluate the feasibility of blood test parameters [white blood cell (WBC) count and C-reactive protein (CRP)] for predicting and diagnosing postoperative infection after posterior surgery with intraoperative radiotherapy (IORT) for spinal metastasis. Summary of Background Data: Posterior surgery with IORT is effective for treating spinal metastasis, as we previously reported. However, the procedure requires that the patient be transferred from the operating room to the irradiation room. In addition, the patient’s general status is often poor, and the risk of postoperative infection is high. Materials and Methods: A total of 279 patients who underwent IORT for the treatment of spinal metastasis between August 2004 and June 2013 were included in this study. The WBC count (/103 &mgr;L) and CRP level (mg/dL) were recorded in all patients preoperatively and on alternative days for up to 7 days after surgery. We assessed the development of surgical-site infection (SSI) for up to 1 month after surgery. Results: SSI occurred in 41 patients (14.7%). The preoperative WBC count and CRP level did not differ between the infected and noninfected patients. The WBC counts on postoperative day (POD) 1 and POD 7 and the CRP levels on POD 7 were significantly higher in the infected patients (8.8 vs. 10.0, P=0.04; 6.1 vs. 8.8, P=0.002; 3.89 vs. 9.50, P<0.001). A receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis of the WBC count and CRP level for detecting SSI showed cutoff values of 9.6 (WBC count, POD 1), 6.5 (WBC count, POD 7), and 5.0 (CRP level, POD 7). Conclusions: A high WBC count and CRP level on POD 7 may be used to predict or detect SSI. In particular, a CRP level of 5.0 mg/dL on POD 7 strongly suggests the future development of SSI (sensitivity: 78%, specificity: 74%).