ReviewInterventional pain medicine2025
The effectiveness of balloon kyphoplasty compared to conservative treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Review in Interventional pain medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
3 citing papers in PubMed.
- Intraoperative Suction-Assisted Kyphoplasty for Immediate Removal of Posterior PMMA Extravasation in Decompressed Vertebral Compression Fractures.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Technical Adaptations in Kyphoplasty for T5 Vertebral Collapse With Sharp Kyphotic Angulation.Cureus · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
13 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are a common and often debilitating condition that significantly impacts quality of life and healthcare costs. While conservative treatment is often pursued initially after fracture, some patients experience severe pain refractory to conservative treatment. In these cases, minimally invasive vertebral augmentation procedures like balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) offer an alternative, but the benefits of BKP compared to conservative treatment remain unclear. Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of BKP versus conservative treatment for pain, quality of life, and function in patients with painful OVCFs. Primary outcome: Pain improvement up to 12 months after BKP. Secondary outcomes: Functional improvement, adverse events, and vertebral body height restoration. Methods: This analysis included randomized controlled trials and prospective comparative studies in which at least 100 participants reported pain outcomes following BKP for OVCFs. The risk of bias was assessed using standard tools, and the certainty of the evidence was evaluated using the Grades of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Results: BKP demonstrated superior pain reduction versus conservative treatment at 1 month (mean difference (MD): 2.32 [-3.65;-0.99], P < 0.001), 3 months (MD: 1.19 [-2.14; -0.24], P = 0.014), 6 months (MD: 1.34 [-2.65; -0.04], P = 0.044), and 12 months (MD: 1.11 [-1.96;-0.26], P = 0.029), with the largest effect observed at 1 month. Disability improvements were significant at 1 month (standardized mean difference (SMD): 1.08 [-1.67; -0.48], P < 0.001) and 3 months (SMD: 0.50 [-0.96; -0.04], P = 0.032), but not at 6 or 12 months. No significant differences were found in the risk for new vertebral compression fractures between both groups (odds ratio (OR): 1.36 [0.51; 3.64], P = 0.54). According to the GRADE system, moderate certainty evidence indicates that BKP provides superior pain relief compared to conservative treatment at all time points from 1 to 12 months. Conclusion: BKP showed superior pain reduction compared to conservative treatment from 1 to 12 months and improved disability at 1 and 3 months, with moderate certainty evidence.
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