{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T04:42:09Z","timestamp":1776746529114,"version":"3.51.2"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"4","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1776211200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Current Oncology"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Purpose: To evaluate the safety, technical feasibility, and clinical outcomes of a strict two-step protocol\u2014CT\/fluoroscopic-guided thermal ablation followed by Balloon-Assisted Acetabuloplasty (BAA)\u2014for the treatment of painful acetabular metastases, utilized as an immediate mechanical stabilization bridge prior to radiotherapy. Materials and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 16 consecutive patients treated for severe mechanical pain (VAS \u2265 6) and impaired mobility due to osteolytic acetabular metastases. The physiological rationale mandated a strict procedural sequence: (1) preliminary thermal devitalization using radiofrequency or microwave ablation to reduce tumor pressure and vascularity, followed subsequently by (2) balloon-assisted cavity compaction and polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) cement injection. Clinical outcomes included VAS for pain and the Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) assessed before treatment and up to 6 months post-procedure. Results: Technical success was 100% with a mean procedural time of 58 \u00b1 14 min. No major complications occurred. At a mean follow-up of 8.2 months, all 16 patients were alive. The procedure yielded dramatic acute pain relief: mean baseline VAS dropped from 7.4 \u00b1 0.8 to 2.3 \u00b1 1.0 at 1 week, and to 0.9 \u00b1 0.9 at 1 month (p &lt; 0.001), remaining stable at 6 months. Functional mobility was rapidly restored, with mean FMS improving from 2.9 \u00b1 0.7 pre-procedure to 1.1 \u00b1 0.3 at 1 month (p &lt; 0.001), allowing independent ambulation in 87.5% of patients. Conclusion: The strict \u201cablation-first\u201d BAA strategy is safe and highly effective. It abolishes load-bearing pain and restores biomechanical stability immediately, allowing previously immobilized patients to rapidly regain independent ambulation and seamlessly transition to necessary consolidative radiotherapy.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/curroncol33040217","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]],"date-time":"2026-04-15T15:56:56Z","timestamp":1776268616000},"page":"217","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Ablation-First Balloon-Assisted Acetabuloplasty for Painful Acetabular Metastases: Clinical Outcomes and Mechanical Rationale"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"33","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-3029-990X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Claudio","family":"Pusceddu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiology, Mater Olbia Hospital, SS 125 Orientale Sarda, 07026 Olbia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7367-6891","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eliodoro","family":"Faiella","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Diagnostica per Immagini, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Campus Bio-Medico, Via \u00c1lvaro del Portillo 200, 00128 Rome, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Pierluigi Maria","family":"Rinaldi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Radiology, Mater Olbia Hospital, SS 125 Orientale Sarda, 07026 Olbia, Italy"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Jes\u00fas","family":"Ares-Vidal","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Hospital Del Mar, Pg. Mar\u00edtim de la Barceloneta 25-29, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4200-3344","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Maria","family":"Maiques Llac\u00e9r","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Hospital Del Mar, Pg. Mar\u00edtim de la Barceloneta 25-29, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6000-1396","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Igor","family":"Radalov","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Hospital Del Mar, Pg. Mar\u00edtim de la Barceloneta 25-29, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Albert","family":"Solano L\u00f3pez","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Hospital Del Mar, Pg. Mar\u00edtim de la Barceloneta 25-29, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-9252-3623","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Salvatore","family":"Marsico","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Radiology, Hospital Del Mar, Pg. Mar\u00edtim de la Barceloneta 25-29, Ciutat Vella, 08003 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"423","DOI":"10.1586\/erd.12.27","article-title":"Balloon kyphoplasty in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures","volume":"9","author":"Wardlaw","year":"2012","journal-title":"Expert Rev. Med. 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Roentgenol."}],"container-title":["Current Oncology"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1718-7729\/33\/4\/217\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,21]],"date-time":"2026-04-21T04:11:03Z","timestamp":1776744663000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/1718-7729\/33\/4\/217"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]},"references-count":25,"journal-issue":{"issue":"4","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,4]]}},"alternative-id":["curroncol33040217"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/curroncol33040217","relation":{},"ISSN":["1718-7729"],"issn-type":[{"value":"1718-7729","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,15]]}}}