Background: The evidence for the efficacy and safety of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) in treating the Vietnamese patients is sparse. There is no convincing evidence regarding BKP’s efficacy in Vietnamese patients, especially in the patients with thoracic osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). This article aims to evaluate the outcomes of restoring the body height of the compressed thoracic vertebrae in patients undergoing BKP. Methods: We prospectively enrolled 65 consecutive patients with thoracic VCFs (73 vertebrae) due to osteoporosis who were treated with BKP between June 2018 and May 2019. Results: A trocar was inserted through the pedicle in 84.9% (62/73) and beside the pedicle in 15.1% (11/73). The mean amount of mixed cement injected was 4.1 ± 1.1 mL (range, 1.5–7 mL). Cement leakage was radiographically confirmed in 30.8% of 65 patients. Among patients with complications caused by cement extravasation, the leakage was through the anterior margin of the vertebrae in 15.4%, through the vertebral disc in 12.3%, and through the posterior margin of the vertebrae in 3.1%. In the last 3.1% of patients, there was no clinically notable lesions of the nerve roots or spinal cord. The mean visual analog scale score decreased significantly from 7.3 ± 1.1 preoperatively to 3.3 ± 0.6 at 24 hours after surgery, and then to 1.2 ± 1.1 at 3 months after surgery (p < 0.01). The mean reduction in Cobb angle measured on standing radiographs after treatment was 3.7°, showing statistical significance (p < 0.01). Conclusions BKP is a minimally invasive treatment effective for immediate pain relief, early motor rehabilitation, and humpback correction. The present study provided convincing evidence to support the use of BKP by spine surgeons and clinical specialists in treating osteoporotic thoracic VCFs in Vietnamese patients.

BACKGROUND: Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) is related to the pathogenesis and poor outcome of numerous types of carcinomas, including gastric carcinoma. Gastric cancer patients with HER2 positivity have become potential candidates for targeted therapy with trastuzumab. METHODS: We investigated 208 gastric cancer specimens using immunohistochemistry (IHC), fluorescence in situ hybridization and dual in situ hybridization (ISH). We also investigated the concordance between IHC and ISH. The correlation between HER2 status and various clinicopathological findings was also investigated. RESULTS: In total, 15.9% (33/208) and 24.5% (51/208) of gastric cancers showed HER2 gene amplification and protein overexpression, respectively. A high level of concordance between ISH and IHC analyses (91.3%, κ = 0.76) was found. A significant correlation between HER2 status and intestinal-type (p < .05) and differentiated carcinomas (p < .05) was also noted. The HER2 heterogeneity was high in gastric cancers; we found 68.8% phenotypic heterogeneity and 57.6% genotypic heterogeneity. Heterogeneity in HER2 protein expression and gene amplification showed a close association with diffuse histologic type and IHC 2+. CONCLUSIONS: HER2 protein overexpression and gene amplification were detected in 24.5% and 15.9% of gastric cancer specimens, respectively. Intestinal-type showed a higher level of HER2 protein overexpression and gene amplification than diffuse type. HER2 status also showed a significant relationship with well- and moderately-differentiated carcinomas. The ratio of phenotypic and genotypic heterogeneity of HER2 was high in gastric carcinomas and was associated with HER2 IHC 2+ and diffuse histologic type.
Asian Continental Ancestry Group* ; Fluorescence ; Gene Amplification ; Genes, erbB-2 ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; In Situ Hybridization ; Population Characteristics* ; Receptor, Epidermal Growth Factor ; Stomach Neoplasms ; Trastuzumab