Eleven patients were enrolled in the study. In acute conditions of treatment-resistant DSO, single-shot infusions of ibandronate (6 mg) were administered. Pain levels were documented 10 days before and after the infusion on a visual analogue scale (VAS). Patients were monitored regularly.
Of the 11 patients, 10 showed a distinct improvement in pain (based on VAS scores) within 48–72 h after infusion. The pain levels of the patients were significantly lower after ibandronate infusions (p < 0.01). The majority of patients were free or almost free of complaints over the following months. Four of the 11 patients returned for repeated infusions. At the time of writing, no severe side effects have been observed, and in particular there has been no case of medication-related jaw osteonecrosis.
We conclude that single-shot bisphosphonate infusions on demand are promising treatment alternatives in acute DSO. Single-shot bisphosphonate infusions of ibandronate were well tolerated and resulted in distinct, long lasting improvement in subjective pain levels based on VAS scores.