Anterior Medial Transoral C2 Vertebroplasty

Abstract

We present the case of a 63-year-old man with a C2 metastasis and a life expectancy of a few months who was independent at the time of diagnosis. In accordance with oncologists and radiotherapists, under antibiotic prophylaxis and general anesthesia, C2 vertebroplasty with an anterior medial transoral approach was performed, followed by radiotherapy. A satisfactory clinical result was obtained consisting in pain relief and avoidance of progression to vertebral collapse and spinal cord compression. We suggest that vertebroplasty should be performed even in compromised patients with a short life expectancy with a C2 metastasis difficult to access from a technical point of view.