 |
Benefits of VertebroplastyEach year over 750,000 Americans sustain painful vertebral compression fractures due to osteoporosis(1) or metastatic disease, which lead to severe pain, deformity and loss of height.
Percutaneous vertebroplasty reduces pain and enables patients to regain independence when conservative care or major spine surgery are not a viable treatment option. Patients undergoing this minimally invasive procedure experience 90% or greater reduction in pain in as little as 24 hours(2, 3,6). Significant benefits include:
- Durable long-term pain reduction, lasting 12-35 months after post-procedure(5, 6)
- An increased ability to perform activities of daily living(3, 4)
- Rare incidence of complications.(6)
Percutaneous vertebroplasty has been performed in the United States since the mid 1990s(4,7). The procedure is relatively quick and simple to complete; under fluoroscopic imaging, biocompatible bone cement is placed into a fractured vertebral body.
The fracture is stabilized, providing pain reduction and increased independence. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is:
- Percutaneous Vertebroplasty is a covered service for Medicare beneficiaries in many states when medically necessary. CMS continuously reviews its coverage policy for Percutaneous Vertebroplasty based on advances in the technology, as well as evidence available on medical effectiveness for selected indications. To confirm coverage policy inclusions and restrictions, consult Medicare national coverage determinations and/or your local Medicare contractor*
- Typically performed in an ASC, outpatient or inpatient basis depending on physician discretion (7)
- Cost effective.(8)
Please note that perctuaneous Vertebroplasty can be performed under mild sedation.
Specialists performing percutaneous vertebroplasty include: interventional radiologists and neuro-radiologists, pain management physicians, and spine surgeons.
Jensen, McGraw, Cardella, Hirsch, Position Statement (pdf file) on Percutaneous Vertebral Augmentation: A consensus statement by the ASITN, SIR, AANS, ASSR. (J Vasc Interv Radiol 2007; 18:325-330).
References
| 1. |
National Osteoporosis Foundation fast facts page. National Osteoporosis Foundation Web site. Available at http://www.nof.org/osteoporosis/diseasefacts.htm. Accessed July, 2008. |
| 2. |
Diamond TH, Champion B, Clark WA. Management of acute osteoporotic vertebral fractures: a nonrandomized trial comparing percutaneous vertebroplasty with conservative therapy. Am J Med. 2003;114:257-265. |
| 3. |
McGraw JK, Lippert JA, Minkus KD, Rami PM, Davis TM, Budzik RF. Prospective evaluation of pain relief in 100 patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty: results and follow-up. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2002;13:883-886. |
| 4. |
Evans AJ, Jensen ME, Kip KE, et al. Vertebral compression fractures: pain reduction and improvement in functional mobility after percutaneous polymethylmetacrylate vertebroplasty—retrospective report of 245 cases. Radiology. 2003;226:366-372. |
| 5. |
Legroux-Gerot I, Lormeau C, Boutry N, Cotten A, Duquesnoy B, Cortet B. Long-term follow-up of vertebral osteoporotic fractures treated by percutaneous vertebroplasty. Clin Rheumatol. 2004;23:310-317. |
| 6. |
Zoarski GH, Snow P, Olan WJ, et al. Percutaneous vertebroplasty for osteoporotic compression fractures: quantitative prospective evaluation of long-term outcomes. J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2002;13:139-148. |
| 7. |
Do HM. Percutaneous vertebroplasty. Dis Manage Dig. 2004;8:2-4 |
| 8. |
American Journal of Neuroradiology 28:200-203, February 2007
Review Article: Kyphoplasty: An Assessment of a New Technology
H.J. Clofta and M.E. Jensen
a Department of Radiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn
b Department of Radiology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va, representing the ASITN Technology Assessment Committee
|
|
* = Private insurance health plan members may be eligible under plan guidelines for Percutaneous Vertebroplasty. Check with the individual payer to determine conditions for medical necessity, specific contraindications to the procedure and coverage details.
Disclaimer: ArthroCare provides this information as a courtesy only. ArthroCare does not render legal, medical or any other services that require a professional license or certification. It is always the provider’s responsibility to determine and submit appropriate codes, charges, and modifiers for services that are rendered. Providers should contact their third-party payers for specific information on their coding, coverage, and payment policies. We make no claims about reimbursement from the use of our products. All coding and reimbursement information provided here is obtained from primary sources (e.g., the American Medical Association, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services). No ArthroCare employee, agent or sales representative may change or add to this information.
This information is not intended as a recommendation regarding clinical practice or the use of a medical device.
For more information please call the ArthroCare Reimbursement Support Line at 888.813.2633 |
Back to top
|
|
