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In two randomized trials published in the August 2009 New England Journal of Medicine, vertebroplasty (injection of a cementing substance into a vertebral fracture) was compared with a sham procedure, in which the blinded control group received preprocedural local anesthesia at the fracture site but no intravertebral injection. In both studies, the vertebroplasty and sham groups improved to a similar extent, with no significant differences between groups (JW Gen Med Aug 5 2009). Because vertebroplasty (and the related procedure, kyphoplasty) still is performed routinely at many medical centers despite these negative results, the topic is worth revisiting.
During the past year, investigators from the two sham-controlled trials have engaged in…