Sacral kyphoplasty for relieving pain caused by sacral hemangioma.

STUDY

DESIGN

Case report describing sacral kyphoplasty in a patient with sacral hemangioma; the first account of this procedure in a sacral hemangioma.

OBJECTIVES

To highlight the advantages of sacral kyphoplasty in the treatment of sacral tumors.

SETTING

This study is made in Baskent University in Turkey.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA: Kyphoplasty and sacroplasty are new, minimally invasive techniques that are mostly used for treating osteoporotic vertebral body fractures. These techniques are very effective for achieving rapid pain relief and stabilizing the vertebra, and biopsy collection can be included in the procedure. The latter allows for informed treatment planning in patients with metastatic tumors.

METHOD: A 74-year-old woman with known metastatic renal cell carcinoma was investigated for pain in the left sacral region. A tumoral lesion was detected, and sacroplasty was performed at S1.

RESULTS

The sacral pain resolved completely after the procedure, and the patient was able to walk without assistance. The pathological diagnosis for the vertebral lesion was hemangioma.

CONCLUSIONS

Sacral kyphoplasty is a very effective, minimally invasive surgical procedure. Patients with debilitating diseases such as primary sacral tumors or metastases can be treated by this technique with no significant complications.