Stabilization and Decompression of The Metastatic Spinal Tumor with Cotrel-Dubousset Instrumentation

Abstract

10 patients with neurologic deficit or severe pain from spinal instability secondary to metastatic cancer underwent dorsal decompression and stabilization with Cotrel-Dubousset (C-D) instrumentation from 1990 to 1993. All of the patients obtained complete relief of pain, there where no failures. All the patients were mobilized with external orthosis one week postoperatively. Among 8 patients suffering from neurologic deficit preoperatively, 6 improved and 2 remained unchanged, 6 patients were alive after a mean follow up period of 15 months. There were no serious complications requiring reoperation. The results suggest that relief of pain and restoration of mobility can be obtained by dorsal decompression and stabilization in patients with spinal metastatis.