The vertebroplasty is usually an outpatient procedure in which doctors inject stabilizing cement into the patient’s spine. Studies last year found the vertebroplasty ineffective in treating patients suffering from compression fractures. However, this new study challenges the previous findings, concluding that vertebroplasty can be a safe and effective treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture.
The study was partially funded by Cook Medical, a vertebroplasty material manufacturer, and involved 231 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures who had been in pain for six weeks or less. Researchers noted that 53 percent of participants experienced spontaneous pain relieve during the assessment phase of the study. Researchers concluded that patients who received vertebroplasty had greater pain relief after one month and one year, though 60 percent of the patients who did not receive vertebroplasty achieved pain relief.
During the study, the patients and physicians were aware of who received which treatment.
Read the MSN report on the new vertebroplasty study.
Read other coverage on vertebroplasty:
– RF Kyphoplasty Shows Less Cement Leakage Than Vertebroplasty
– Society of Interventional Radiology Supports Vertebroplasty in Properly Selected Patients
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