Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33963449›Full record

SynthesisEuropean radiology2021

Percutaneous vertebroplasty versus conservative treatment and placebo in osteoporotic vertebral fractures: meta-analysis and critical review of the literature.

A J Láinez Ramos-Bossini, D López Zúñiga, F Ruiz Santiago

Abstract readMeta-AnalysisReview
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in European radiology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 4 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 4 pooled it
5.9field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 4 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 45 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Conservative treatments for non-surgically managed osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a network meta-analysis of long-term pain and quality of life.Osteoporosis international : a journal established as result of cooperation between the European Foundation for Osteoporosis and the National Osteoporosis Foundation of the USA · 2026
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  7. Comparison of Bilateral and Unilateral Applications of Percutaneous Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty Procedures.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2026
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

A J Láinez Ramos-BossiniDepartment of Radiology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Fuerzas Armadas Av. 2, 18014, Granada, Spain. ajbossini@ugr.es.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0663-2856
D López ZúñigaDepartment of Radiology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Fuerzas Armadas Av. 2, 18014, Granada, Spain.
F Ruiz SantiagoDepartment of Radiology, Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, Fuerzas Armadas Av. 2, 18014, Granada, Spain.
Universidad de Granada · ESHospital Universitario Virgen de las Nieves · ES

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesTo assess the current evidence regarding the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) over conservative treatment (CT) and placebo in osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) by performing a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). MATERIALS AND

methodsA systematic search was conducted on PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases. The main outcomes were pain relief, improvement of functional disability, and quality of life at different time points: short-term (1-2 weeks), medium-term (1-3 months), and long-term (≥ 6 months). Subgroup analyses based on time from fracture onset and sham procedure were also performed.

resultsA total of 14 RCTs were included in the meta-analysis. PVP showed significant benefits over CT in all outcomes, but slight-to-none clear differences over placebo. Subgroup analyses revealed that PVP performed in fractures < 6 weeks provided superior short-term pain relief than the control group (p = .02), and better quality of life in the medium-term (p = .03) and long-term (p = .006). Placebo based on infiltrating the skin alone was significantly inferior to PVP at most time points in all outcomes, but no significant differences between PVP and placebo were found when the sham procedure consisted of infiltrating both the skin and periosteum.

conclusionsPVP showed significant advantages over CT in terms of efficacy, but benefits were more limited when compared to placebo. In addition, benefits of PVP are more prominent in recent OVFs. Differences in the sham procedure or criteria regarding patient's selection/allocation seem to be the main causes of disparity in previous RCTs. KEY POINTS: • Previous RCTs showed significant advantages of PVP over CT in terms of efficacy, but benefits were more limited when compared to placebo. • Differences in patient allocation or in the sham procedure might explain the lack of benefits of PVP versus placebo found in previous RCTs. • Despite controversial opinions, PVP should be offered to patients with OVFs as an alternative option to conservative treatment.

Indexed as

Fractures, CompressionOsteoporotic FracturesSpinal FracturesVertebroplastyConservative TreatmentHumansTreatment OutcomeConservative treatmentOsteoporosisPercutaneous vertebroplastyPlaceboVertebral fracture

Identifiers

PMID33963449
OpenAlexW3157910532

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.