Minimally invasive (percutaneous) treatment of metastatic spinal and extraspinal disease--a review.

Metastatic tumors are the most common malignancy of bone. Many patients with spinal metastases present with pain and pathologic fractures. The advent of interventional radiology resulted in alternative and less invasive treatment of these patients. This article presents minimally invasive (percutaneous) procedures that are currently in use, i.e. vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, osteoplasty, radiofrequency ablation, cryoablation, and transarterial embolization. Indications, contraindications, results and complications are also discussed. According to our current knowledge of the results reported in the literature, minimally invasive techniques are successful methods for the treatment of metastatic spinal and extraspinal disease and can be used as alternative treatment to standard surgical or non-surgical procedures.