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In two recent randomized trials, researchers compared vertebroplasty (injection of a cement-like substance into a vertebral fracture) with a sham procedure (injection of only local anesthetic at the fracture site). In both studies, the vertebroplasty and sham groups improved similarly, with no significant differences between groups (JW Gen Med Aug 5 2009). Some critics argued that patients were enrolled too late in the course of their pain and that inclusion of some patients without severe pain might have weakened the studies' power (JW Gen Med Sep 16 2010). To address these concerns, investigators conducted a meta-analysis of these two trials to determine the effectiveness of vertebroplasty in two subgroups of patients: 57 patients with at…