ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2021
Radiofrequency ablation and balloon kyphoplasty for palliation of painful spinal metastases.
Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 19 citations in OpenAlex.
- Radiofrequency Ablation of Painful Spinal Metastasis: A Systematic Review.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2025Pooled it
- Regional variability and economic impact on surgical practices for metastatic spinal disease in Europe - a survey on spine surgeons.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2026Article
- Article
- Radiofrequency Ablation for Chronic Pain: Mechanistic Insights and Emerging Innovations.Cureus · 2025Review
- Comparative Effectiveness of Kyphoplasty and Radiation with or Without Radiofrequency Ablation in Spinal Metastases from Lung Cancer.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Ablative Techniques for the Management of Osseous Spine Metastases: A Narrative Review.Journal of clinical medicine · 2025Review
- Comparison of Clinical Outcomes Between Fluoroscopic and Computer Tomographic Guidance in Concurrent Use of Radiofrequency Ablation and Vertebral Augmentation in Spinal Metastases: A Scoping Review.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Review
- Review
- Review
- Combination radiofrequency ablation and vertebral cement augmentation for spinal metastatic tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of safety and treatment outcomes.North American Spine Society journal · 2024Review
- Radiofrequency Ablation in Vertebral Body Metastasis with and without Percutaneous Cement Augmentation: A Systematic Review Addressing the Need for SPINE Stability Evaluation.Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The Palliative Care in the Metastatic Spinal Tumors. A Systematic Review on the Radiotherapy and Surgical Perspective.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- [Treatment strategies for pathological fractures of the spine].Der Unfallchirurg · 2021Review
- Enhancing palliative care in vulnerable patients: Robot-assisted radiofrequency ablation for multiple spinal metastases - Technical insights and preliminary outcomes.Journal of craniovertebral junction & spineArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeThis study was designed with an aim to assess the safety and early postoperative outcomes of the combined Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) and Balloon Kyphoplasty (BKP) used for the treatment of painful neoplastic spinal lesions palliatively. PATIENTS AND
methodsBetween December 2015 and December 2018, 60 patients (35 men and 25 women) with spinal metastases were operated using RFA and BKP at our institution. Transpedicular biopsy was performed in all cases. Patients' demographics, lesion characteristics, concurrent palliative therapies and complications were recorded. All patients were clinically (Pain score VAS 0-10) and radiologically evaluated pre- and postoperatively. Retrospective analysis of data for this cohort was performed.
resultsSeventy-five painful spinal metastases (46 in the lumbar spine and 29 in the thoracic region) in 60 patients were operated [transpedicular RFA alone in 5 lesions, and in combination with BKP in 70 lesions (93%)]. The mean pre-procedure and post-procedure VAS for back pain was 7.2/10 and 2.7/10, respectively (p value = 0.0001). No neurological complications related to RFA were found and no cement extravasation into the spinal canal was observed. In two patients, asymptomatic leaks into the needle track, in two patients into draining veins and in one patient into the disk space were detected.
conclusionCombined RFA and BKP appears to be a safe, practical, effective and reproducible palliative treatment for painful spinal osteolytic metastasis. In carefully indicated cases, it relieves pain and maintains stability in a minimal invasive way without adding significant surgical trauma or complications.
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Registered trials
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