Journal of vascular and interventional radiology : JVIR
July 17, 2026 · via Europe PMC
Clinical and Metabolic Outcomes of Radiofrequency Ablation with Vertebral Augmentation for Symptomatic Spinal Osteolytic Lesions in Multiple Myeloma.
Torkian P, Hillengass J, Jahangiri Y, Takyar F, Talaie R.
AI summary — for doctors, generated from the abstract only
In 20 patients with multiple myeloma and painful spinal osteolytic lesions, radiofrequency ablation with vertebral augmentation was associated with sustained pain relief and reduced FDG uptake.
What was studied
Retrospective single-center study of 20 patients with 45 symptomatic spinal myeloma lesions treated with RFA plus vertebral augmentation (2018-2024; mean follow-up 14.6 months), assessing VAS, ODI, KPS and PET-CT SUVmax.
Key findings
- Mean VAS improved from 8.2 to 3.8 at 12 months (P < .001)
- Parallel improvements in ODI and KPS
- Mean SUVmax at treated lesions decreased by 62.5%
- No new vertebral fractures or progressive collapse; 2 minor adverse events
Clinical relevance
This supports RFA with vertebral augmentation as a possible local palliative and stabilizing option for painful myeloma spinal lesions, though the small retrospective single-arm series cannot separate its effect from concurrent systemic therapy.
Who should care
Limitations
Small retrospective single-center series without a control group; concurrent systemic myeloma therapy likely confounds metabolic and pain outcomes.
Combining ablation with cement augmentation may give durable pain relief for myeloma spine lesions, based on limited early data.
This is an AI-generated summary of the published abstract, not a clinical recommendation. It may not reflect the full text or subsequent updates — verify against the original source before acting on it.
Abstract
This retrospective single-center study evaluated clinical and local metabolic outcomes after radiofrequency ablation (RFA) combined with vertebral augmentation in patients with multiple myeloma and symptomatic spinal osteolytic lesions. Twenty patients with 45 lesions underwent treatment between 2018 and 2024 (mean follow-up, 14.6 months). Pain, disability, and functional status were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS). Positron emission tomography (PET)-computed tomography (CT) at 3-6 months evaluated fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake at treated lesions. Mean VAS score improved from 8.2 to 3.8 at 12 months (P < .001), with parallel improvements in ODI and KPS. Mean maximum standardized uptake value decreased by 62.5% at treated lesions. No new vertebral fractures or progressive collapse was observed, and 2 minor adverse events occurred. RFA combined with vertebral augmentation was associated with sustained pain relief, functional improvement, and reduced FDG uptake, supporting its role as a local palliative and stabilizing therapy.
DOI
10.1016/j.jvir.2026.108963
PMID
42468838
Research metadata (titles, abstracts, authors, publication dates) is sourced from Europe PMC, which aggregates content from PubMed/MEDLINE, PubMed Central, and other providers under the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM/NCBI). NLM does not claim copyright on abstracts; the original journal publishers or authors may hold rights to the full articles. AI-generated summaries are derived only from the abstract, never the full text, and are always labeled as AI-generated.
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