EFFECTS OF VERTEBROPLASTY ON ADJACENT INTERVERTEBRAL DISCDEGENERATION

Abstract

BACKGROUND Bone cement, which we use in vertebroplasty, causes damage to cartilage vertebral endplate and by that diminishes the diffusion of nutrients into adjacent intervertebral disc.The aim of our study was to evaluate if vertebroplasty promotes degeneration of adjacentintervertebral discs. METHODS and We studied 12 vertebroplasty patients (11 women, 1 man) with average age of 71 yearsresults (56–93 years). Levels of intervertebral discs degeneration before and after operation weredefined on basis of MRI and Pearce’s classification of intervertebral disc degeneration.Out of 36 intervertebral discs adjacent to cemented vertebral bodies, 15 of them showed increased degenerative changes after the average time of 19 months, 21 intervertebraldiscs were unchanged. In control group of 66 intervertebral discs which were not in proximityto cemented vertebral bodies, only 12 showed increased degenerative changes, 52intervertebral discs were unchanged and in 2 intervertebral discs, degenerative changeswere diminished. The level of statistical significance between observed and control groupwas 0.007 (independent-samples t-test – 95 % level of confidance).Conclusions RESULTS of our study are showing that vertebroplasty promotes degeneration of adjacentintervertebral discs. On basis of these results we recommend the application of osteoconductivebone cement containing calcium sulfate in younger patients