Modification of percutaneous vertebroplasty for painful old osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture in the elderly: preliminary report.

OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical efficacy of modified percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) in the treatment of painful old osteoporosis vertebral compression fractures (OVCF). METHODS: From April 2007 to October 2009, 16 cases (23 vertebrae) of symptomic old OVCF were treated with a modified PVP. Before operation, all the patients were examined by standing anteroposterior and lateral X-Ray and MRI. The pain level of each patient was assessed before operation and 1 week, 6, 12 months after the operation using visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI). The middle line vertebral body height and local sagittal Cobb's angle were also measured. RESULTS: Postoperative average VAS, Oswestry disability index (ODI), the local sagittal Cobb's angle decreased from 7.8, 72.3%, and 38.2° to 3.1, 26.8%, and 21.5° respectively before and after surgery (p<0.05). The mean midline vertebral height increased from 13.8mm to 26.6mm before and after surgery (p<0.05). There was no infection, nerve injury, pulmonary embolism, or death after operation. CONCLUSIONS: The modified PVP can increase the space for bone cement filling and is good for the restoration of vertebral body height. It is an optimal procedure for the treatment of painful old OVCF.

Effects of large dose Methylprednisolone on level of MCP-1 expression and macrophages infiltration in early spinal cord injured rats / 临床神经病学杂志

Objective To explore the effects of Methylprednisolone (MP) on level of monocyte chemoattractant protein 1 (MCP-1) expression and macrophages infiltration in early spinal cord injured (SCI) rats.Methods Animal SCI model was established by modified Nystrm method. 72 rats were randomly divided into three groups: SCI group, normal saline control group and MP treatment group. Each group,divided into three subgroups, were sacrificed at 1 d, 3 d, 7 d postinjury. Spinal cord tissues were collected and sections were made to do following examinations: (1)morphological observation by hematoxylin and eosin stain;(2)the expression and distribution of local MCP-1 positive cells, and the infiltration of macrophages by immunohistochemical method. The cell population of different time points were counted and compared.Results MP reduced the proportion of both MCP-1 positive cells and marcrophages in local spinal cord, meanwhile MP elevated the mean density of Olsiwski corpuscle at all time points as compared with those in control group (all P