![]() ![]() One-third of all over 65 year-old women experience at least one vertebral compression fracture (VCF), representing the most common fracture type in this population, outnumbering femoral neck and distal radius fractures. In the US, the annual incidence of osteoporotic fractures is estimated at 1.5 million: 700,000 of them are vertebral fractures, causing nearly 115,000 hospitalizations per year. Almost 1 million vertebral fractures in the elderly occur each year in Europe, with health costs that amount at 337 million euro. Vertebral fractures are the most common complication of osteopenia. When performed by experienced surgeon complication rate is low, representing a safe procedure, able to provide a satisfactory outcome. ![]() It provides immediate pain relief and allows early mobilization, thus avoiding potentially severe complications related to persistent back pain and prolonged bed rest. In conclusion, percutaneous vertebroplasty is an effective and safe procedure for treating vertebral compression fractures in the elderly. Pain intensity and life quality was maintained within satisfactory limits after a mean follow-up of 16 months. In the immediate post-operative course a significant pain relief was found in 39 patients (66.1%), moderate pain relief in 17 (28.8%), while 3 (5.1%) did not achieve relevant pain improvement. Immediate post-operative pain reduction and follow-up clinical outcome (estimating quality of life and residual back pain) were evaluated by means of Visual Analogue Scale, SF-36 and Oswestry Disability Index. A limited group of patients that did not tolerate brace and had an insufficient pain control underwent vertebroplasty “in acute”, few days after fracture. If presence of marrow signal changes, especially hypertense signal in T2-weighted images was confirmed, percutaneous vertebroplasty procedure was performed (we could call it “sub-acute” procedure). At control, patients who complained of pain and limitation of daily activities underwent MRI. All of patients were initially treated conservatively, by application of orthosis that allows immediate deambulation. All fractures were free from neurologic involvement and were classified as A1 type according to Magerl classification. The authors present a retrospective review of 59 consecutive patients (in total 94 fractured levels) that underwent polymethylmethacrylate percutaneous vertebroplasty for vertebral compression fractures due to senile or secondary osteoporosis. More than 20 years have passed since percutaneous vertebroplasty was initially used in the treatment of angiomas, representing nowadays a widely used treatment for osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Vertebral compression fractures represent a frequent pathology among elderly population, with potentially devastating consequences. ![]()
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