Surgical Treatment for Spinal Metastasis

Objective To study the value of surgical treatment in cases of spinal metastasis. Methods This series included 87 patients with spinal metastasis disease incountered from 1990 to March 2001. All patients had severe pain, and 62 pa-tienes had surgery including resection of vertebral body and/or appendix, reconst ruction and internal fixation, as radical as possible excision of metastasis lesion,decompression of spinal cord and nerve root, reconstruction of the vertebra. The main purpose was to improve the quality of life. Results 62 patients undergone surgical treatments were followed - up for 2 to 123 months. All had pain relief to a certain extent, and most patients with paraplegia had improvement of neurological symptoms. Conclusion Surgical treatment is the only possible option for spinal metastasis. In selected patients surgery can fulfill the purpose of improving the quality of life and also prolonging the living period.