ArticleEuropean spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society2012
Continuing conservative care versus crossover to radiofrequency kyphoplasty: a comparative effectiveness study on the treatment of vertebral body fractures.
Article in European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Optimal management for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a network meta-analysis.Journal of orthopaedic surgery and research · 2025Pooled it
- Incidence of new osteoporotic adjacent vertebral body fractures. A comparison between conservative treatment and vertebral body augmentation (vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty): a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in surgery · 2025Pooled it
- Clinical and radiological subsequent fractures after vertebral augmentation for treating osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a meta-analysis.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2020Pooled it
- Clinical comparison of postoperative results of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) versus radiofrequency-targeted vertebral augmentation (RF-TVA): a prospective clinical study.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2016Trial
- Teriparatide alone versus vertebroplasty on pain control and radiographic outcomes after osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2024Article
- Spinal Orthoses in the Treatment of Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Vertebral Fractures in the Elderly: A Systematic Review With Quantitative Quality Assessment.Global spine journal · 2023Article
- Thoracolumbar fascia injury in osteoporotic vertebral fracture: the important concomitant damage.BMC musculoskeletal disorders · 2023Article
- A Comparative Study on the Treatment of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures With Early Ambulation and at Least 1 Week of Absolute Bed Rest.Korean journal of neurotrauma · 2022Article
- Radiofrequency-Targeted Vertebral Augmentation: Case Report of a Patient with 7 Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures in a Variant of Osteogenesis Imperfecta.Case reports in orthopedics · 2017Article
- Is thoracolumbar fascia injury the cause of residual back pain after percutaneous vertebroplasty? A prospective cohort study.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2015Article
- Treatment options for vertebral fractures an overview of different philosophies and techniques for vertebral augmentation.European journal of orthopaedic surgery & traumatology : orthopedie traumatologie · 2014Review
- Controversial issues in kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty in osteoporotic vertebral fractures.BioMed research international · 2014Review
- Comparative study on the period of absolute bed rest of vertebral compression fracture.Korean Journal of Spine · 2013Article
- The Michel Benoist and Robert Mulholland yearly European Spine Journal Review: a survey of the "surgical and research" articles in the European Spine Journal 2012.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2013Article
- The Michel Benoist and Robert Mulholland yearly European Spine Journal Review: a survey of the "medical" articles in the European Spine Journal, 2012.European spine journal : official publication of the European Spine Society, the European Spinal Deformity Society, and the European Section of the Cervical Spine Research Society · 2013Article
- Effect of spinal orthoses on osteoporotic elderly patients kyphosis, back muscles strength, balance and osteoporotic vertebral fractures: (A systematic review and meta-analysis).Journal of rehabilitation and assistive technologies engineeringReview
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThere is controversy about how to treat vertebral fractures. Conservative care is the default approach. Radiofrequency kyphoplasty uses ultrahigh viscosity cement to restore spinal posture and stabilize the fracture. The aims of this study were to compare radiofrequency kyphoplasty to conservative care and assess the usual algorithm of starting all patients on conservative care for 6 weeks before offering surgery.
methodsElderly patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures were all treated with 6 weeks of conservative care (analgesics, bracing, and physiotherapy). They were then offered the choice of continuing conservative care or crossing over to radiofrequency kyphoplasty, at 6 and 12 weeks. Clinical success was defined as: (1) VAS pain improvement ≥2, (2) final VAS pain ≤5, (3) no functional worsening on ODI.
resultsAfter the initial 6 weeks of conservative care, only 1 of 65 patients met the criteria for clinical success, and median VAS improvement was 0. After 12 weeks of conservative care, only 5 of 38 patients met the criteria for clinical success, and median VAS improvement was 1. At the 6-week follow-up after radiofrequency kyphoplasty, 31 of 33 surgery patients met the criteria for clinical success, and median VAS improvement was 5.
conclusionFor the vast majority of patients with a VAS ≥5, conservative care did not provide meaningful clinical improvement. In contrast, nearly all patients who underwent radiofrequency kyphoplasty had rapid substantial improvement. Surgery was clearly much more effective than conservative care and should be offered to patients much sooner.
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