Experience in surgical treatment of vertebral metastatic tumors of craniovertebral localization

Abstract

Purpose of the study. Elaboration of a surgical technique to manage patients with metastatic lesions of the craniovertebral region.Patients and methods. The study included 7 patients with metastatic lesions of the craniovertebral region, who’ve been operated on for severe instability, pain syndrome, neurological deficit in the period from 01/01/2014 to 09/30/2022. To assess the neurological status and patients’ condition the Frankel and Karnofsky scales were used on the day of admission and discharge of the patients from the hospital. Pain intensity was assessed using a visual analog pain scale (VAS). To assess instability in the affected spinal motion segment the SINS scale was used. All patients underwent palliative surgical treatment in the amount of occipitospondylodesis with a biopsy of the neoplasm from the posterior approach.Results. The average age of patients was 60 [44; 66] years. All patients had a marked pain syndrome prior to the surgery. The average pain intensity according to the visual analog pain scale was 8 points. In the preoperative period, 6 (85 %) patients on the Frankel scale were assigned to group E, 1 (14 %) – to group C. In 6 (85 %) patients there was no dynamics in the neurological status following the surgery, however according to the Karnofsky scale there was an improvement up to 10 points due to the regression of the pain syndrome down to 1 point on the visual analog scale. Hemiparesis developed in 1 (14 %) patient due to malposition of the laminar hook in the postoperative period. The average duration of surgical interventions made up 337.5 [315; 345] min, the average intraoperative blood loss made up 300 [300; 800] ml. In 6 out of 7 patients (85 %) there was no neurological status dynamics after the surgery, and according to the Karnofsky scale an improvement up to 10 points was noted due to regression of the pain syndrome to an average value of 1 [1; 2] VAS score. Conclusion. The obtained results indicate the clinical application possibilities of minimally traumatic surgical technologies for the treatment of craniovertebral zone metastatic tumors.