Clinical outcome of percutaneous osteoplasty for pain caused by metastatic bone tumors in the pelvis and femur.

We examined the pain-relieving effects in five patients who underwent percutaneous osteoplasty (POP) for pain caused by metastatic bone tumors in the pelvis and femur. Pain intensity, improvement of walking, and complications associated with POP were evaluated. Pain was measured using a numerical rating scale (NRS), with scores ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst pain imaginable). The patients were four men and one woman (mean age, 65 years). POP was performed in the pelvis in three patients and in the femur in two patients. Three of the subjects had already received radiation therapy at the lesion. The scores on the NRS on moving in the five patients before POP were 5, 8, 5, 4, and 7. After POP, the NRS scores decreased to 0, 0, 2, 0, and 1, respectively, within 72 hs. Three of the patients showed improvements in walking. There were no complications associated with POP. However, pathological fracture occurred, while walking, 4 days after POP in one patient. Percutaneous osteoplasty is a safe and effective treatment for pain caused by metastatic bone tumors in the pelvis and femur. However, care and attention should be paid to the risk of pathological fracture after POP of the femur.