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Two procedures have become routine for treating patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures: vertebroplasty (percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate “cement” into the affected vertebral body) and kyphoplasty (a similar procedure, but preceded by inflation of a balloon to restore vertebral height). However, randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trials to prove the effectiveness of either procedure have been lacking — until now.
In one study, conducted mainly in the U.S. and U.K., researchers randomized 131 patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures to undergo vertebroplasty or a simulated procedure (without injection of cement). In an intent-to-treat analysis, pain and disability scores in the two groups w…