Vertebral body clinico-morphological features following percutaneous vertebroplasty versus the conservatory approach.

Most percutaneous vertebroplasty procedures are being performed in order to relieve pain in patients with severe osteoporosis and associated stable fractures of one or more vertebral bodies. In addition, vertebroplasty is also recommended for patients suffering from post-traumatic symptoms associated with vertebral fractures, patients with large angiomas positioned inside the vertebral body, with an increased risk for collapse fracture and also patients presenting with pain associated with vertebral body metastatic disease. On another aspect, it is possible that in isolated cases, an orthopedic surgeon confronted with a vertebra plana presentation will recommend bone cement injection into the vertebral bodies adjacent to the fractured one, in order to have a better and more robust substrate for placement of screws or other fixation devices. The aim of our study is to compare results attained by the Department of Interventional Radiology, in performing this procedure, with results attained by following the classical orthopedic treatment procedure, involving non-operative treatment, using medication and bracing varying from simple extension orthoses in order to limit spinal flexion, light bracing for contiguous fractures, presenting either angulation or compression, and for severe cases standard thoracolumbosacral orthoses (TLSOs).

Correlations between etiological factors and lesion severity in carotid artery atheromatosis.

Occurrence of atheromatous plaques on the internal wall of large and medium sized arteries represents a widely spread disease. It is especially found in the elderly, but also in individuals belonging to the 4th-6th decade of life with an increasing incidence. Correlating the main etiological factors with morphological change severity, in conjunction with settling the importance of each factor on its own in generating and developing arterial plaques, has an important predictive role in the evolution of atherosclerotic pathology. The purpose of this study is to investigate the existence of a correlation between the main factors linked to atheromatosis and the degree of severity of the carotid artery stenosis. This is obtained by ultrasonographic examination of the carotid arteries in correlation with determining serum cholesterol levels, thus ascertaining the risk for atheroma related events and disease progression.