Description
Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture
Osteoporotic compression fractures are common. It is estimated that up to 50% of women and 25% of men will have a vertebral fracture at some point in their lives. However, only about one-third of vertebral fractures reach clinical diagnosis, and most symptomatic fractures will heal within a few weeks or one month. A minority of individuals will exhibit chronic pain following osteoporotic compression fracture that presents challenges for medical management.
Treatment
Chronic symptoms do not tend to respond to the management strategies for acute pain such as bedrest, immobilization or bracing device, and analgesic medication, sometimes including narcotic analgesics. The source of chronic pain after vertebral compression fracture may not be from the vertebra itself but may be predominantly related to strain on muscles and ligaments secondary to kyphosis. This type of pain frequently is not improved with analgesics and may be better addressed through exercise. Conventional vertebroplastysurgical intervention may be required in severe cases not responsive to conservative measures.
Osteolytic Vertebral Body Fractures
Vertebral body fractures can also be pathologic, due to osteolytic lesions, most commonly from metastatic tumors. Metastatic malignant disease involving the spine generally involves the vertebral bodies, with pain being the most frequent complaint.
Treatment
While radiotherapy and chemotherapy are frequently effective in reducing tumor burden and associated symptoms, pain relief may be delayed days to weeks, depending on tumor response. Further, these approaches rely on bone remodeling to regain vertebral body strength, which may necessitate supportive bracing to minimize the risk of vertebral body collapse during healing.
Regulatory Status
Kyphoplasty is a surgical procedure and, as such, is not subject to regulation by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Balloon kyphoplasty requires the use of an inflatable bone tamp. In July 1998, one such tamp, the KyphX® inflatable bone tamp (Medtronic), was cleared for marketing by the FDA through the 510(k) process. Other devices with the FDA 510(k) marketing clearance include the AVAmax® Vertebral Balloon system (CareFusion), NeuroTherm Parallax® Balloon Inflatable Bone Tamp (NeuroTherm), Stryker iVAS® Balloon catheter, and Synthes Synflate™ Vertebral Balloon System (Synthes [West Chester, PA]). StabiliT® Vertebral Augmentation System (Merit Medical) for radiofrequency vertebral augmentation was cleared for marketing in 2009. FDA product code NDN.
In 2014, the Kiva® VCF Treatment System (Benvenue Medical) was cleared for marketing by the FDA through the 510(k) process. FDA product code NDN.
Polymethylmethacrylate bone cement was available as a drug product before enactment of the FDA's device regulation and was at first considered what the FDA termed a "transitional device." It was transitioned to a class III device and then to a class II device, which required future 510(k) submissions to meet "special controls" instead of "general controls" to assure safety and effectiveness. In July 2004, KyphX® HV-RTM bone cement was cleared for marketing by the FDA through the 510(k) process for the treatment of pathologic fractures of the vertebral body due to osteoporosis, cancer, or benign lesions using a balloon kyphoplasty procedure. Subsequently, other products such as Spine-Fix® Biomimetic Bone Cement, KYPHON® HV-R® Bone Cement, and Osteopal® V (Heraeus) have received issued 510(k) marketing clearance for the fixation of pathologic fractures of the vertebral body using vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty procedures. FDA product code: NDN.