[Transoral vertebroplasty: an alternative for operative treatment of metastases of the upper cervical spine].

Analogue to the demographic changes and the accompanying increased incidence of tumorous diseases, the number of patients with metastatic bone tumors of the spine is also increasing. Metastatic bone tumors are the most significant cause of pain in cancer patients. Pain and instability are the main indications for surgery. Minimally invasive procedures are recommended in patients with a poor medical condition and with a poor prognosis.Transoral vertebroplasty can be successfully used to reduce pain and provide stability in the palliative treatment of metastases of the vertebral axis. This procedure has the advantage of providing rapid pain relief and spinal stabilization.The operative technique is described and discussed with reference to the current literature. As an example the case of a 67-year-old patient is described, who was suffering from prostate cancer and a painful metastasis of the dens axis. After interdisciplinary consensus, transoral vertebroplasty was performed. The procedure was effective in achieving pain relief and providing stability and 7 months after the operation no further spinal metastases had occurred.