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Previous studies have demonstrated that thyroid hormone plays an important role in normal bone development, bone metabolism, and establishment of peak bone mass. However, the correlation of thyroid status with bone mineral content (BMC), bone mineral density (BMD), and osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is rarely discussed. The current study probes into the potential association between thyroid status and spinal BMC, BMD, and OVF from a novel perspective of thyroid function (TF) and sensitivity to thyroid hormone based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database. A total of 1844 participants were included in this study. The association of thyroid status with outcome variables, like spinal BMC, BMD, and OVF, was analyzed using thyroid function indices and sensitivity to thyroid hormone indices as influence factors. The correlation of them were assessed using univariate and multivariable weighted linear regression, weighted logistic regression models, restricted cubic spline model, and subgroup analyses. The results of this study showed that the association of free triiodothyronine (FT3)/free thyroxine (FT4) with BMC remained negatively associated after adjustment for all covariates. Higher thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb) was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing OVF in both unadjusted and adjusted models. In addition, the results of the restricted cubic spline model were consistent with the weighted multivariate regression analysis after adjustment. The results of this cross-sectional study showed that higher FT3/FT4 and TPOAb were associated with decreased spinal BMC and the increased risk of OVF, indicating a complex link between thyroid status and bone health. Therefore, patients with hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, autoimmune thyroid disease, or abnormal peripheral thyroid sensitivity, especially who with elevated TPOAb or FT3/FT4, should focus on the prevention of vertebral osteopenia, osteoporosis, and OVF., Competing Interests: The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2024 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Objectives: Percutaneous vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are common interventions for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. However, there is concern about an increased risk of adjacent-level fractures after treatment. This study aimed to compare the risk of adjacent-level fractures after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty with the natural history after osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures., Materials and Methods: A network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the risk of adjacent-level fractures after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty compared to the natural history after osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. Frequentist network meta-analysis was conducted using the "netmeta" package, and heterogeneity was assessed using Q statistics. The pooled risk ratio (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using random effects., Results: Twenty-three RCTs with a total of 2838 patients were included in the analysis. The network meta-analysis showed comparable risks of adjacent-level fractures between vertebroplasty, kyphoplasty, and natural history after osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with a mean follow-up of 21.2 (range: 3-49.4 months). The pooled RR for adjacent-level fractures after kyphoplasty compared to natural history was 1.35 (95% CI, 0.78-2.34, p = 0.23) and for vertebroplasty compared to natural history was 1.16 (95% CI, 0.62-2.14) p = 0.51. The risk of bias assessment showed a low to moderate risk of bias among included RCTs., Conclusion: There was no difference in the risk of adjacent-level fractures after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty compared to natural history after osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. The inclusion of a large patient number and network meta-analysis of RCTs serve evidence-based clinical practice., Clinical Relevance Statement: The risk of adjacent-level fracture following percutaneous vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty is similar to that observed in the natural history after osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures., Key Points: RCTs have examined the risk of adjacent-level fracture after intervention for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. There was no difference between vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty patients compared to the natural disease history for adjacent compression fractures. This is strong evidence that interventional treatments for these fractures do not increase the risk of adjacent fractures., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to European Society of Radiology.)

Purpose: Fractal analysis is a mathematical tool which allows the evaluation of complex microstructural features within materials that cannot be expressed in traditional geometric terms. The purpose of this study is to quantify the differences in polymethylmethacrylate intravertebral cement spatial distribution patterns following vertebroplasty using fractal analysis through the examination of osteoporotic and malignant compression fractures. Methods: Frontal and lateral post-vertebroplasty radiographs were evaluated from 29 patients with osteoporotic and malignant compression fractures who underwent vertebroplasty. The individually treated vertebra were divided into osteoporotic (n = 35) and malignant groups (n = 41). Images underwent segmentation, thresholding, and binarization prior to fractal analysis. Fractal dimension and lacunarity values were derived from the region of interest in treated vertebrae using the "box-counting" and "gliding-box" techniques respectively using ImageJ. The mean values of both parameters were compared between the 2 groups. Results: The mean fractal dimension was significantly higher in the malignant vertebral compression fracture group (1.53 ± 0.08) compared to the osteoporotic group (1.34 ± 0.17; P < .001). Similarly, mean lacunarity values were significantly higher in the malignant fracture group (0.50 ± 0.09) compared to the osteoporotic group (0.37 ± 0.10; P < .001). Conclusions: Fractal dimension and lacunarity values of cement spatial distribution patterns obtained from the post-vertebroplasty radiographs can differentiate between benign osteoporotic and malignant vertebral compression fractures. This novel technique may be useful for evaluating cement spatial distribution patterns in spine augmentation procedures, although further research is warranted in this area., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Our study investigates vertebral fractures in individuals with distal radius fractures. Among 512 patients, 41.21% had vertebral fractures, predominantly in the lumbar spine. These findings highlight the importance of screening for vertebral fractures in this population, informing early intervention strategies to mitigate risks associated with osteoporosis., Purpose: This study's main goal was to look into the frequency, location, kind, and severity of asymptomatic vertebral fragility fractures (VFF) in people who had fractures of the fragility of the distal radius. Although VFF is frequently misdiagnosed, it is linked to higher mortality, morbidity, and hip fracture risk. The study also attempted to investigate the relationship between VFF and certain demographic and lifestyle factors, as well as FRAX data, in this patient population., Methods: Between January, 2021, and January, 2022, individuals with low-energy distal radial fractures who presented to the emergency room of tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan, were the subject of a cross-sectional study and were 45 years of age or older except those who fitted the exclusion criteria (n = 208). The thoracic and/or lumbar spine was imaged using radiology, and information on demographics, way of life, and FRAX (Fracture Risk Assessment Tool) was gathered. Using the Genant semiquantitative approach, an impartial and blinded orthopaedist identified VF in the images and determined their severity. SPSS version 20 was used to analyse the data., Results: Two hundred eleven (41.21%) of them were found to have radiographic VFF and only 12 (2.34%) of the 512 patients who were tested were getting osteoporotic therapy. The thoracic spine (32.7%), followed by the lumbar spine (43.12%), was the area most frequently afflicted. In 24.17% of the patients, multiple fractures of the thoracolumbar spine were found. The wedge form (54.5%), followed by biconcave (30.81%) and crush (14.7%), was the most prevalent VFF type. The majority of detected VFF were rated as having a 25-40% height loss (64.9%) then severe (> 40%) fractures (35.1%), according to the Genant grading method. Notably, there were no variations in smoking, drinking, BMI, or FRAX score between patients with and without VFF that were statistically significant., Conclusion: Based on our study's findings, it is clear that osteoporotic vertebral fragility fractures occur in almost half of individuals with distal radius fractures. The lumbar spine is notably the most affected region, predominantly with wedge fractures. Given the high prevalence of asymptomatic vertebral fragility fractures (VFF), proactive measures are necessary to mitigate associated risks. Prioritising comprehensive fall risk assessments for these patients and interventions to enhance bone mineral density and strength are crucial. Early identification of asymptomatic VFF enables timely intervention, optimising patient care and minimising the risk of complications in this vulnerable population., (© 2024. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Background: Adverse events of the fractured vertebra (AEFV) post-percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) can lead to recurrent pain and neurological damage, which considerably affect the prognosis of patients and the quality of life. This study aimed to analyze the risk factors of AEFV and develop and select the optimal risk prediction model for AEFV to provide guidance for the prevention of this condition and enhancement of clinical outcomes., Methods: This work included 383 patients with primary osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) who underwent PKP. The patients were grouped based on the occurrence of AEFV postsurgery, and data were collected. Group comparisons and correlation analysis were conducted to identify potential risk factors, which were then included in the five prediction models. The performance indicators served as basis for the selection of the best model., Results: Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed the following independent risk factors for AEFV: kissing spine (odds ratio (OR) = 8.47, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.46-49.02), high paravertebral muscle fat infiltration grade (OR = 29.19, 95% CI 4.83-176.04), vertebral body computed tomography value (OR = 0.02, 95% CI 0.003-0.13, P < 0.001), and large Cobb change (OR = 5.31, 95% CI 1.77-15.77). The support vector machine (SVM) model exhibited the best performance in the prediction of the risk of AEFV., Conclusion: Four independent risk factors were identified of AEFV, and five risk prediction models that can aid clinicians in the accurate identification of high-risk patients and prediction of the occurrence of AEFV were developed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Postoperative refracture of osteoporotic compression fractures in the elderly due to underlying illnesses is a complicated matter involving several variables. A multidisciplinary approach involving orthopedics, geriatrics, endocrinology, and rehabilitation medicine is necessary for an investigation of these issues. investigating the impact of older patients' underlying medical conditions on the refracture of osteoporotic compression fractures following surgery., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 2383 patients between August 2013 and August 2023. 550 patients with comorbid geriatric underlying diseases were screened, 183 patients underwent refractories, and 367 patients were classified as non-refractories. The patients were then divided into two groups: those undergoing refractories and those not, and the underlying diseases of the patients in both groups were examined using ROC curves and unifactorial and multifactorial logistic regression analyses., Results: Among the patients gathered, the frequency of re-fracture was 33.3%. A statistically significant difference was observed when re-fracture was linked to patients with long-term alcohol consumption, operated vertebrae ≤ 1, hypertension, COPD, diabetes mellitus, stroke sequelae, conservative treatment of coronary heart disease, trauma, mental abnormality, scoliosis, and chronic renal disease. Having hypertension decreased the risk of re-fracture (P = 0.018, OR = 0.548), while alcohol intake ≥ 10years (P = 0.003, OR = 2.165), mental abnormality (P < 0.001, OR = 4.093), scoliosis (P < 0.001, OR = 6.243), chronic kidney disease (P = 0.002, OR = 2.208), and traumatic injuries (P = 0.029, OR = 3.512) were the risk factors examined in a binary logistic regression analysis. The results of multiple linear stepwise regression analysis indicated that re-fracture was more influenced by scoliosis., Conclusions: Hypertensive disorders were protective factors against the formation of re-fracture, while alcohol intake usage for more than ten years, psychological abnormalities, scoliosis, chronic kidney disease, and trauma were risk factors. Scoliosis had the highest influence on re-fracture., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Osteoporosis, a metabolic bone disorder, markedly elevates fracture risks, with vertebral compression fractures being predominant. Antiosteoporotic treatments for patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) lessen both the occurrence of subsequent fractures and associated pain. Thus, diagnosing osteoporosis in OVCF patients is vital., Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop a predictive radiographic model using T1 sequence MRI images to accurately determine whether patients with lumbar spine compression fractures also have osteoporosis., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study., Patient Sample: Patients over 45 years of age diagnosed with a fresh lumbar compression fracture., Outcome Measures: Diagnostic accuracy of the model (area under the ROC curve)., Methods: The study retrospectively collected clinical and imaging data (MRI and DEXA) from hospitalized lumbar compression fracture patients (L1-L4) aged 45 years or older between January 2021 and June 2023. Using the pyradiomics package in Python, features from the lumbar compression fracture vertebral region of interest (ROI) were extracted. Downscaling of the extracted features was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test and the least absolute shrinkage selection operator (LASSO) algorithm. Subsequently, six machine learning models (Naive Bayes, Support Vector Machine [SVM], Decision Tree, Random Forest, Extreme Gradient Boosting [XGBoost], and Light Gradient Boosting Machine [LightGBM]) were employed to train and validate these features in predicting osteoporosis comorbidity in OVCF patients., Results: A total of 128 participants, 79 in the osteoporotic group and 49 in the nonosteoporotic group, met the study's inclusion and exclusion criteria. From the T1 sequence MRI images, 1906 imaging features were extracted in both groups. Utilizing the Mann-Whitney U test, 365 radiologic features were selected out of the initial 1,906. Ultimately, the lasso algorithm identified 14 significant radiological features. These features, incorporated into six conventional machine learning algorithms, demonstrated successful prediction of osteoporosis in the validation set. The NaiveBayes model yielded an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.84, sensitivity of 0.87, specificity of 0.70, and accuracy of 0.81., Conclusions: A NaiveBayes machine learning algorithm can predict osteoporosis in OVCF patients using t1-sequence MRI images of lumbar compression fractures. This approach aims to obviate the necessity for further osteoporosis assessments, diminish patient exposure to radiation, and bolster the clinical care of patients with OVCF., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

To investigate the relationship between preoperative blood glucose levels and long-term all-cause mortality in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (VP). This single-center retrospective study involved a chart review of patients admitted for VP to treat OVCF between 2013 and 2020. Patients with pathological or multiple fractures or those who did not undergo bone mineral density assessment were excluded. All relevant information was collected from electronic medical records. The survival status of all patients was confirmed at the end of March 2021. Cox proportional hazard models with multivariate adjustments were used to examine the effects of blood glucose levels on all-cause mortality. Overall, 131 patients were retrospectively analyzed (mean age: 75.8 ± 9.3 years, male patients: 26.7%) with a median follow-up period of 2.1 years. Preoperative hyperglycemia (hazard ratio: 2.668, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.064, 6.689; p = 0.036) and glucose levels (hazard ratio: 1.007, 95% CI 1.002-1.012; p = 0.006) were found to be independently associated with a higher risk of all-cause mortality. This correlation remained significant even after adjusting for age and sex, and other factors and comorbidities that might affect outcomes (hazard ratio: 2.708, 95% CI 1.047, 7.003, p = 0.040 and 1.007; 95% CI 1.001, 1.013, p = 0.016, respectively). Furthermore, a history of diabetes mellitus was not a significant factor influencing long-term all-cause mortality. Preoperative glucose levels were found to be independently associated with survival outcomes in patients with OVCF who underwent VP. Conversely, diabetes mellitus was not associated with long-term all-cause mortality. Our findings highlight that preoperative hyperglycemia is a risk factor for long-term mortality in this aging surgical population., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: There is a corresponding increase in the prevalence of osteoporosis and related fractures with the aging population on the rise. Furthermore, osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) may contribute to higher patient mortality rates. It is essential to conduct research on risk factors for OVCF and provide a theoretical basis for preventing such fractures., Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients who had spine CT for OVCF or back pain. Demographic and CT data were collected. Quantitative computed tomography (QCT) software analyzed the CT data, using subcutaneous fat and paraspinal muscles as reference standards for BMD processing. BMD of cortical and cancellous bones in each patient's vertebral body was determined., Results: In this study, 144 patients were divided into non-OVCF (96) and OVCF (48) groups. Non-OVCF patients had higher cortical BMD of 382.5 ± 52.4 to 444.6 ± 70.1 mg/cm 3 , with T12 having the lowest BMD (p < 0.001, T12 vs. L2). Cancellous BMD ranged from 128.5 ± 58.4 to 140.9 ± 58.9 mg/cm 3 , with L3 having the lowest BMD. OVCF patients had lower cortical BMD of 365.0 ± 78.9 to 429.3 ± 156.7 mg/cm 3 , with a further decrease in T12 BMD. Cancellous BMD ranged from 71.68 ± 52.07 to 123.9 ± 126.2 mg/cm 3 , with L3 still having the lowest BMD. Fractured vertebrae in OVCF patients (T12, L1, and L2) had lower cortical bone density compared to their corresponding vertebrae without fractures (p < 0.05)., Conclusions: T12 had the lowest cortical BMD and L3 had the lowest cancellous BMD in OVCF patients, with T12 also having the highest incidence of osteoporotic fractures. These findings suggest that reduction in cortical BMD has a greater impact on OVCF than reduction in cancellous BMD, along with biomechanical factors., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background and Objectives: Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) are prevalent among the elderly, often leading to significant pain, morbidity, and mortality. Effective management of underlying osteoporosis is essential to prevent subsequent fractures. This study aimed to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of teriparatide and denosumab treatments in patients with OVCFs to determine their relative effectiveness in improving patient outcomes. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study included 78 patients diagnosed with an acute thoracolumbar OVCF who received either teriparatide (35 patients) or denosumab (43 patients) within three months of a fracture. Clinical outcomes were assessed using the visual analog scale (VAS) for back pain, Oswestry disability index (ODI), and EQ-5D quality of life scores at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Bone mineral density (BMD) and radiographic outcomes were evaluated initially and at 12 months post-treatment. Results: Both treatment groups demonstrated significant improvements in VAS, ODI, and EQ-5D scores over 12 months. No significant differences were observed between the teriparatide and denosumab groups in terms of clinical outcomes or radiographic measurements at any time point. Fracture union and BMD improvements were similarly observed in both groups. The teriparatide group had a lower baseline BMD, but this did not affect the overall outcomes. Conclusions: Both teriparatide and denosumab are effective in improving clinical and radiographic outcomes in patients with OVCFs. Despite concerns about denosumab's potential to hinder fracture healing, our study found no significant differences between the two treatments. These findings support the use of denosumab for early treatment of OVCFs to prevent subsequent fractures without compromising fracture healing. Further prospective studies are needed to confirm these results.

Adjacent vertebral fracture (AVF) is a serious complication of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) or kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF). This study aimed to explore the incidence and risk factors of AVF following PVP or PKP in postmenopausal women. The incidence of AVF was determined by spinal radiographic examinations. The potential risk factors of AVF were identified by univariate analysis, followed by multivariate logistic regression analyses to determine the independent risk factors. In total, 674 postmenopausal women who were treated with PVP or PKP from December 2019 to February 2022 were enrolled in the study. Among them, 58 (8.61%) women experienced an AVF following PVP or PKP. After adjusting for confounding factors, BMI (OR [95% CI] 0.863 [0.781-0.952]; p = 0.003), previous history of OVCF (OR [95% CI] 1.931 [1.044-3.571]; p = 0.036), and Hounsfield unit (HU) value (OR [95% CI] 0.979 [0.967-0.990]; p < 0.001) were found to be independent risk factors of AVF following PVP or PKP in postmenopausal women. The ROC analysis revealed that the BMI and HU thresholds were 21.43 and 65.15, respectively. In conclusion, the incidence of AVF was 8.61%. BMI, previous history of OVCF and HU value were independent risk factors of AVF following PVP or PKP in postmenopausal women., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Study Design: Systematic review., Purpose: Osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) and degenerative spine conditions are age-related and associated with higher morbidity and mortality and greater health care costs. The relationship between OVFs and prevalent spine degeneration is rarely reported. The aim of this study was to systematically review current literature on the influence of preexisting degenerative spine conditions in patients with OVFs on the occurrence of complications during and after treatment., Methods: A systematic literature review adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines was performed using Web of Science and MEDLINE. We considered English and German articles published from January 1990 to December 2022. The inclusion criteria were patients with OVFs and preexisting spinal degeneration with complications such as subsequent fractures, deformity, implant failure and surgical and general complications. The included studies were controlled trials, cohort studies, and case series., Results: Ten articles met the inclusion criteria (two prospective studies, seven retrospective studies and one case series). These were divided into two groups: studies on OVFs in patients with coexisting degenerative spine conditions (n = 5) and studies on OVFs following surgical treatment for degenerative spine conditions (n = 5). Three studies reported more complications in patients with OVFs and severe degeneration. One study stated the opposite. One study did not find any correlation. The remaining studies described complications narratively. Subsequent fractures were the most frequent complications., Conclusion: OVFs in patients with preexisting spinal degeneration seem to cause more complications. In addition to subsequent fractures, other complications have rarely been examined. The presence of degenerative changes or undergoing surgical correction may increase the risk of subsequent fractures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: To conduct an independent assessment of inter- and intraobserver agreement for the META score as a tool for differentiating osteoporotic vertebral fractures and multiple myeloma vertebral fractures., Methods: This is a retrospective observational study. The magnetic resonance imaging analysis was made by two independent spinal surgeons. We designated a Subjective assessment, in which the surgeon should establish a diagnostic classification for each vertebral fracture based on personal experience: secondary to osteoporosis, categorized as a benign vertebral fracture (BVF), or attributed to multiple myeloma, categorized a malign vertebral fracture (MVF). After a 90-day interval, both surgeons repeated the evaluations. For the next step, the observers should establish a diagnosis between BVF and MVF according to the META score system, and both observers repeated the evaluations after a 90-day interval. The intra and interobserver reliability of the Subjective evaluation was studied using the kappa (κ) test. Then, the META evaluations were paralleled using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC)., Results: A total of 220 patients who had the potential to participate in the study were initially enrolled, but after applying the exclusion criteria, 44 patients were included. Thirty-three patients had BVF, and 12 patients presented MVF. Interobserver agreement for both Subjective evaluations moments (initial and 90-days interval) found a slight agreement for both moments (0.35 and 0.40 respectively). Kappa test for both META evaluations moments (initial and 90-days interval) found a moderate interobserver agreement for both moments (0.54 and 0.48 respectively). It was observed that the ICC calculated for the Initial evaluation using META score was 0.680 and that in the 90-days interval was 0.726, indicating regular to good agreement. Kappa test for intraobserver agreements for the Subjective evaluation presented moderate agreement for both Surgeons. On the other side, Kappa test for intraobserver agreements for the META evaluation presented substantial agreement for both Surgeons. The Intraclass Correlation Coefficient of the META score found presented an almost perfect agreement for both Surgeons., Conclusion: Intra and interobserver agreement for both surgeons were unsatisfactory. The lack of consistent reproducibility by the same observer discourages and disfavors the routine use of the META score in clinical decision making, when potentially cases of multiple myeloma may be present., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Background and Objectives : This study retrospectively examined whether the incidence rates of adjacent vertebral fractures (AVFs) can be reduced through balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) for osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs) in the early stages, when there is little vertebral height variation. Materials and Methods : A total of 95 patients (22 males, 73 females, mean age: 80.7 years) who had undergone BKP were divided into two groups: the Early group (underwent BKP within 2 weeks after injury, n = 62), and the Non-early group (underwent BKP > 2 weeks after injury, n = 33). The following data were analyzed: patient characteristics; fracture level; the presence of old vertebral fractures, posterior wall injury, and intravertebral cleft; duration of surgery; duration of hospitalization; cement volume; the occurrence of AVF; the timing of AVF occurrence; Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) scores at the preoperative, postoperative, and final follow-up assessments; posterior vertebral kyphosis angle of the affected vertebra on plain lateral X-ray; vertebral wedge ratio; local kyphotic angle; and changes in posterior vertebral kyphosis angle, vertebral wedge ratio, and local kyphotic angle between preoperative and postoperative assessments. The patients were divided based on the occurrence or non-occurrence of AVF after BKP: the Non-AVF group, in which AVF did not occur, and the AVF group, in which AVF occurred. Results : The incidence of AVF was 15.8% (15/95 patients), with a notably lower incidence rate in the Early group at 6.5% (4/62 patients) compared to the Non-early group at 33.3% (11/33 patients). NRS scores significantly improved in both groups at the postoperative assessment and final follow-up. The changes in posterior vertebral kyphosis angle and vertebral wedge ratio were significantly lower in the Early group. In the Non-AVF group, the time from injury to surgery was significantly shorter. Conclusions : The Early group had a significantly lower incidence of AVF. The time from injury to surgery was a risk factor for AVF occurrence, suggesting that early BKP is recommended.

Objective: To evaluate the risk factors of new osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP)., Methods: From January 2016 to November 2019, patients suffering from OVCFs were retrospectively reviewed. The independent influence factors for new OVCFs after PVP were assessed, from following variables: age, sex, body mass index, bone mineral density (BMD), history of alcoholism, smoking, hypertension, diabetes, glucocorticoid use, and prior vertebral fractures, the number of initial fractures, mean cement volume, method of puncture, D-type of cement leakage, and regular antiosteoporosis treatment., Results: A total of 268 patients with 347 levels met the inclusion criteria and were finally included in this study. Forty-nine levels of new OVCFs among 33 patients (12.31%) were observed during the follow-up period. It indicated that female (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 6.812, 95% confidence interval {CI}: [1.096, 42.337], P = 0.040), lower BMD (adjusted OR: 0.477, 95% CI: [0.300, 0.759], P = 0.002), prior vertebral fractures (adjusted OR: 16.145, 95% CI: [5.319, 49.005], P = 0.000), and regular antiosteoporosis treatment (adjusted OR: 0.258, 95% CI: [0.086, 0.774], P = 0.016) were independent influence factors for new OVCF. The cut-off value of BMD to reach new OVCF was -3.350, with a sensitivity of 0.660 and a specificity of 0.848., Conclusion: Female, lower BMD (T-score of lumbar), prior vertebral fractures, and regular antiosteoporosis treatment were independent influencing factors. BMD (T-score of lumbar) lower than -3.350 would increase risk for new OVCF, and none osteoporotic treatment has detrimental effect on new onset fractures following PVP., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To evaluate the value of five indicators in predicting OVCF through a retrospective case-control study, and explore the internal correlation of different indicators., Method: We retrospectively enrolled patients over 50 years of age who had been subjected to surgery for fragility OVCF at China Japan Friendship Hospital from January 2021 to September 2023. Demographic characteristics, T-score based on dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), CT-based Hounsfield unit (HU) value, vertebral bone quality (VBQ) score based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), relative cross-sectional area (rCSA) and the rate of fat infiltration (FI) of paraspinal muscle were collected. A 1:1 age- and sex-matched, fracture-free control group was established from patients admitted to our hospital for lumbar spinal stenosis or lumbar disk herniation., Results: A total of 78 patients with lumbar fragility OVCF were included. All the five indicators were significantly correlated with the occurrence of OVCFs. Logistic regression analysis showed that average HU value and VBQ score were significantly correlated with OVCF. The area under the curve (AUC) of VBQ score was the largest (0.89). There was a significantly positive correlation between average T-score, average HU value and average total rCSA. VBQ score was significantly positive correlated with FI., Conclusion: VBQ score and HU value has good value in predicting of fragility OVCF. In addition to bone mineral density, we should pay more attention to bone quality, including the fatty signal intensity in bone and the FI in paraspinal muscle., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The role of recent fracture site in predicting the most detrimental subsequent fractures, hip and vertebral, is unclear. This study found that most recent fracture sites were associated with an increased risk of both hip and vertebral fracture, a finding that may impact the design of secondary prevention programs., Background: Hip and vertebral fractures are the most serious in terms of associated morbidity, mortality, and societal costs. There is limited evidence as to which fracture types are associated with the highest risk for subsequent hip and vertebral fractures. This study aims to explore the dependency of imminent hip and vertebral fracture risk on the site of the recent index fracture., Methods: Conducted as a nationwide retrospective cohort study, we utilized Swedish national registers to assess the risk of hip and vertebral fractures based on the site of the recent (≤ 2 years) index fracture and an old (> 2 years) prevalent fracture. This risk was compared to that observed in individuals without any prevalent fractures. This study encompassed all Swedes aged 50 years and older between 2007 and 2010. Patients with a recent fracture were categorized into specific groups based on the type of their previous fracture and were followed until December 2017, with censoring for death and migration. The study assessed the risk of hip and vertebral fractures during the follow-up period., Results: The study included a total of 3,423,320 individuals, comprising 145,780 with a recent fracture, 293,051 with an old fracture, and 2,984,489 without a previous fracture. The median follow-up times for the three groups were 7.6 years (IQR 4.0-9.1), 7.9 years (5.8-9.2), and 8.5 years (7.4-9.7), respectively. Patients with a recent fracture at almost all sites exhibited a significantly increased risk of hip fracture and an elevated risk of vertebral fracture compared to controls. Patients with recent fractures had an increased risk of subsequent hip and vertebral fractures, regardless of the index fracture site. These results strengthen the notion that all patients with a recent fracture, regardless of fracture site, should be included in secondary prevention programs, to improve the prevention of the clinically most serious fractures., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

We evaluated the relationship of bone mineral density (BMD) by computed tomography (CT), to predict fractures in a multi-ethnic population. We demonstrated that vertebral and hip fractures were more likely in those patients with low BMD. This is one of the first studies to demonstrate that CT BMD derived from thoracic vertebrae can predict future hip and vertebral fractures., Purpose/introduction: Osteoporosis affects an enormous number of patients, of all races and both sexes, and its prevalence increases as the population ages. Few studies have evaluated the association between the vertebral trabecular bone mineral density(vBMD) and osteoporosis-related hip fracture in a multiethnic population, and no studies have demonstrated the predictive value of vBMD for fractures., Method: We sought to determine the predictive value of QCT-based trabecular vBMD of thoracic vertebrae derived from coronary artery calcium scan for hip fractures in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis(MESA), a nationwide multicenter cohort included 6814 people from six medical centers across the USA and assess if low bone density by QCT can predict future fractures. Measures were done using trabecular bone measures, adjusted for individual patients, from three consecutive thoracic vertebrae (BDI Inc, Manhattan Beach CA, USA) from non-contrast cardiac CT scans., Results: Six thousand eight hundred fourteen MESA baseline participants were included with a mean age of 62.2 ± 10.2 years, and 52.8% were women. The mean thoracic BMD is 162.6 ± 46.8 mg/cm 3 (95% CI 161.5, 163.7), and 27.6% of participants (n = 1883) had osteoporosis (T-score 2.5 or lower). Over a median follow-up of 17.4 years, Caucasians have a higher rate of vertebral fractures (6.9%), followed by Blacks (4.4%), Hispanics (3.7%), and Chinese (3.0%). Hip fracture patients had a lower baseline vBMD as measured by QCT than the non-hip fracture group by 13.6 mg/cm 3 [P < 0.001]. The same pattern was seen in the vertebral fracture population, where the mean BMD was substantially lower 18.3 mg/cm 3 [P < 0.001] than in the non-vertebral fracture population. Notably, the above substantial relationship was unaffected by age, gender, race, BMI, hypertension, current smoking, medication use, or activity. Patients with low trabecular BMD of thoracic vertebrae showed a 1.57-fold greater risk of first hip fracture (HR 1.57, 95% CI 1.38-1.95) and a nearly threefold increased risk of first vertebral fracture (HR 2.93, 95% CI 1.87-4.59) compared to normal BMD patients., Conclusion: There is significant correlation between thoracic trabecular BMD and the incidence of future hip and vertebral fracture. This study demonstrates that thoracic vertebrae BMD, as measured on cardiac CT (QCT), can predict both hip and vertebral fractures without additional radiation, scanning, or patient burden. Osteopenia and osteoporosis are markedly underdiagnosed. Finding occult disease affords the opportunity to treat the millions of people undergoing CT scans every year for other indications., (© 2024. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

New vertebral compression fractures (NVCF) are common in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who have undergone percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). We sought to develop a nomogram prediction model for better identification and prevention of NVCF within 3 years after PVP in patients with OVCF. The demographic, clinical, and imaging data of patients who underwent PVP for OVCF between January 2010 and December 2019 were reviewed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to screen for risk factors for NVCF within 3 years after PVP. A nomogram prediction model was then developed and validated to visually predict NVCF. The samples in the model were randomly divided into training and validation sets at a ratio of 7:3. Twenty-seven percent of patients experienced NVCF in other segments within 3 years after PVP. Older age, lower bone mineral density (BMD), smoking, lack of anti-osteoporosis therapy, and postoperative trauma were risk factors for NVCF. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve suggested good discrimination of this model: training set (0.781, 95% confidence interval: 0.731-0.831) and validation set (0.786, 95% confidence interval: 0.708-0.863). The calibration curve suggested good prediction accuracy between the actual and predicted probabilities in the training and validation sets. The DCA results suggested that, when the probability thresholds were 0.0452-08394 and 0.0336-0.7262 in the training and validation set, respectively, patients can benefit from using this model to predict NVCF within 3 years after PVP. In conclusion, this nomogram prediction model that included five risk factors (older age, lower BMD, smoking, postoperative minor trauma, and lack of anti-osteoporosis treatment can effectively predict NVCF within 3 years after PVP. Postoperative smoking cessation, standard anti-osteoporosis treatment, and reduction in incidental minor trauma are necessary and effective means of reducing the incidence of NVCF., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist., (Copyright: © 2024 Nie et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Purpose: To analyze the association between scoliosis and vertebral refracture after percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs)., Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 269 patients meeting the criteria from January 2014 to October 2022. All patients underwent PKP with complete data and were followed-up for > 12 months. First, it was verified that scoliosis was a risk factor in 269 patients. Second, patients with scoliosis were grouped based on the Cobb angle to evaluate the impact of the post-operative angle. The cox proportional hazards regression analysis and survival analysis were used to calculate the hazard ratio and recurrence time., Results: A total of 56 patients had scoliosis, 18 of whom experienced refractures after PKP. The risk factors for vertebral refractures included a T-score < - 3.0 and presence of scoliosis (both p < 0.001). The results indicated that the vertebral fractured arc (T10 - L4) was highly influential in scoliosis and vertebral fractures. When scoliotic and initially fractured vertebrae were situated within T10 - L4, the risk factors for vertebral refracture included a postoperative Cobb angle of ≥ 20° (p = 0.002) and an increased angle (p = 0.001). The mean recurrence times were 17.2 (10.7 - 23.7) months and 17.6 (7.9 - 27.3) months, respectively., Conclusion: Osteoporosis combined with scoliosis significantly increases the risk of vertebral refractures after PKP in patients with OVCFs. A postoperative Cobb angle of ≥ 20° and an increased angle are significant risk factors for vertebral refractures when scoliotic and initially fractured vertebrae are situated within T10 - L4., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The aim of this study was to develop and validate a machine learning (ML) model for predicting the risk of new osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) in patients who underwent percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and to create a user-friendly web-based calculator for clinical use., Methods: A retrospective analysis of patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty: A retrospective analysis of patients treated with PVP between June 2016 and June 2018 at Liuzhou People's Hospital was performed. The independent variables of the model were screened using Boruta and modelled using 9 algorithms. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC&#95;AUC), and clinical utility was assessed by clinical decision curve analysis (DCA). The best models were analysed for interpretability using SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) and the models were deployed visually using a web calculator., Results: Training and test groups were split using time. The SVM model performed best in both the training group tenfold cross-validation (CV) and validation group AUC, with an AUC of 0.77. DCA showed that the model was beneficial to patients in both the training and test sets. A network calculator developed based on the SHAP-based SVM model can be used for clinical risk assessment ( https://nicolazhang.shinyapps.io/refracture&#95;shap/ )., Conclusions: The SVM-based ML model was effective in predicting the risk of new-onset OVCF after PVP, and the network calculator provides a practical tool for clinical decision-making. This study contributes to personalised care in spinal surgery., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Teriparatide and denosumab, anti-osteoporosis medications with different mechanisms, have been widely used in the patients with osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) considered as advanced osteoporosis. Teriparatide has been shown to enhance bone formation and fracture healing in OVF, but there are still no sufficient evidences discussing about the role of denosumab in newly developed OVF. In this study, we found the similar radiological deformation and functional outcomes of conservative treatment with teriparatide and denosumab in thoracolumbar (TL) OVF, and teriparatide showed a more frequent incidence of fracture union with paravertebral bone bridge formation compared to denosumab., Introduction: Teriparatide and denosumab have been widely used to treat advanced osteoporosis and prevent subsequent fractures in patients with OVCF. Unlike teriparatide, which is considered to be effective in fracture healing, there is still no clear role and evidence for the effect of denosumab in acute OVCF. This study compared the radiological and functional outcomes of conservative treatment with teriparatide and denosumab in TL-OVF., Methods: This retrospective study enrolled 78 women with mean age of 74.69 ± 7.66 (60-92) years diagnosed as a TL-OVF with no neurological deficits. All patients were treated conservatively with teriparatide (34 of group T, once-daily 20 μg) or denosumab (44 of group D, once-6 months 60 mg) for 6 months. We evaluated the radiological deformation (kyphotic angle, segmental vertebral kyphotic angle, and compression ratio) and the incidence of fracture union with paravertebral bone bridge formation (FUPB) and functional outcomes using the visual analog scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) at 0, 3, and 6 months., Results: In the radiological deformation and functional outcomes, there were no significant differences at 0, 3, and 6 months between the two groups (P > 0.05). However, the incidence of FUPB at 6 months was higher in group T (20/34, 58.8%) compared to group D (11/44, 25.0%) (P = 0.004), and teriparatide was the most statistically significant factor for achieving FUPB (OR 4.486, P = 0.012) in multivariable logistic analysis., Conclusions: Teriparatide and denosumab, despite of their different pharmacological mechanisms, showed similar radiological deformation and functional outcomes in the conservative treatment of TL-OVF. However, teriparatide showed a significantly higher incidence of fracture union with paravertebral bone bridge formation., (© 2024. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

With the development of modern medical standards, autoimmune diseases and their associated successive osteoporosis have received increasing attention in recent years. Patients with autoimmune diseases, due to the characteristics of the disease and the prolonged use of glucocorticoid hormone therapy, may affect the bone formation and bone absorption of the patient, followed by severe successive osteoporosis, thereby increasing the risk of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. Vertebral compression fractures of the spine are common fracture types in patients with osteoporotic fractures. Osteoporosis is a common complication after glucocorticoid therapy in patients with autoimmune diseases. Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) are minimally invasive operation and are commonly used surgical methods for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. However, due to the operation of spinal puncture during the operation, there are serious surgical risks such as bone cement leakage, spinal epidural hemorrhage, subdural hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage in both PVP and PKP. As a result, it is necessary to evaluate the patient' s body before surgery carefully, especially in the case of blood coagulation. This article reports a case of autoimmune disease patient admitted to Peking University People' s Hospital due to lumbar 4 vertebral compression fracture combined with Sjögren' s syndrome. The patient' s preoperative examination showed that the activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT) was significantly prolonged. After completing the APTT extended screening experiment and lupus anticoagulant factor testing, the multi-disciplinary team (MDT) of Peking University People' s Hospital jointly discussed the conclusion that the patient' s test results were caused by an abnormal self-immunity anti-copulant lupus (LAC). Based on the results of the laboratory examination, the patient was considered to be diagnosed with combined antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). For such patients, compared with the patient' s tendency to bleed, we should pay more attention to the risk of high blood clotting in the lower limbs of the patient, pulmonary clots and so on. With timely anti-coagulation treatment, the patient safely passed the peripheral period and was successfully discharged from the hospital. Therefore, for patients with autoimmune diseases with prolonged APTT in the perioperative period, doctors need to carefully identify the actual cause and carry out targeted treatment in order to minimize the risk of surgical and perioperative complications and bring satisfactory treatment results to the patients.

Background: Early assessment of the risk of nonunion in osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) is beneficial to early clinical decision making. However, a comprehensive understanding of the risk factors for OVCF nonunion is lacking., Methods: We conducted a case-control study to investigate risk factors for OVCF nonunion. Patients who underwent surgery for nonunited OVCFs between January 2011 and December 2021 were eligible for inclusion as cases. Patients with successful OVCF healing confirmed by MRI over the same period were identified as controls. Patient demographics, comorbidities, and fasting blood test data were extracted for analysis., Results: A total of 201 patients with nonunited OVCFs and 1044 controls were included to evaluate the risk factors for nonunited OVCFs. There were statistically significant differences in sex, age, number of patients with hypertension, number of patients on bed rest after OVCF and T-score of BMD between the two groups. Logistic regression showed that female patients had a higher risk of OVCF nonunion than male patients and that smoking, drinking, diabetes, and hypertension were risk factors for nonunion of OVCFs, while bed rest and spinal support were protective factors against nonunion of OVCFs. We also found that age, BMD, FBG, and β-CTX were positively correlated with nonunited OVCFs, and that HGB and 1,25-(OH)2VitD3 level were negatively correlated with nonunited OVCFs., Conclusion: Smoking, drinking, diabetes and hypertension were risk factors for nonunion of OVCFs, while bed rest and spinal support were protective factors against nonunion of OVCFs. Age, BMD, FBG and β-CTX were positively correlated with nonunited OVCFs, while HGB and 1,25-(OH)2VitD3 level were negatively correlated with nonunited OVCFs. Based on the results of our study, we suggest that bed rest or spinal support for at least 3 consecutive weeks is necessary to reduce the risk of OVCFs nonunion., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: Hounsfield units (HU) measured using computed tomography (CT) have gained considerable attention for the detection of osteoporosis. This study aimed to investigate whether opportunistic CT could predict vertebral fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA)., Methods: A total of 233 patients with RA who underwent chest CT were included in this study. The HU values of the anterior 1/3 of the vertebral bodies based on the sagittal plane at T11-L2 after reconstruction were measured. The incidence of vertebral fractures was investigated with respect to the HU value., Results: Vertebral fractures were identified in 32 patients during a mean follow-up period of 3.8 years. In patients who experienced vertebral fractures within 2 years of CT imaging, the HU values of the vertebral bodies (T11-L2) were lower than those in patients who did not experience fractures. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis identified that a T11 HU value of <125 was a risk factor for vertebral fracture within 2 years. Multivariate analysis showed that a T11 HU value of <125 and the existence of prevalent vertebral fractures were significant risk factors for fracture., Conclusion: HU measurements of the anterior 1/3 of the vertebral body are a potential predictor for vertebral fractures in patients with RA., (© 2024 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Objective: Degenerative thoracolumbar hyperkyphosis (DTH) is a disease that negatively affects individual health and requires surgical intervention, yet the ideal surgical approach and complications, especially distal junctional failures (DJF), remain poorly understood. This study aims to investigate DJF in DTH and to identify the risk factors for DJF so that we can improve surgical decision-making, and advance our knowledge in the field of spinal surgery to enhance patient outcomes., Methods: This study retrospectively reviewed 78 cases (late osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture [OVCF], 51; Scheuermann's kyphosis [SK], 17; and degenerative disc diseases [DDD], 10) who underwent corrective surgery in our institute from 2008 to 2019. Clinical outcomes were assessed using health-related quality of life (HRQOL) measures, including the visual analogue scale (VAS) scores for back and leg pain, the Oswestry disability index (ODI), and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scoring system. Multiple radiographic parameters, such as global kyphosis (GK) and thoracolumbar kyphosis (TLK), were assessed to determine radiographic outcomes. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed to identify the risk factors associated with DJF., Results: HRQOL improved, and GK, TLK decreased at the final follow-up, with a correction rate of 67.7% and 68.5%, respectively. DJF was found in 13 of 78 cases (16.7%), two cases had wedging in the disc (L3-4) below the instrumentation, one case had a fracture of the lowest instrumented vertebrae (LIV), one case had osteoporotic fracture below the fixation, nine cases had pull-out or loosening of the screws at the LIV and three cases (23.1%) required revision surgery. The DJF group had older age, lower computed tomography Hounsfield unit (CT HU), longer follow-up, more blood loss, greater preoperative sagittal vertical axis (SVA), and poorer postoperative JOA and VAS scores (back). The change in TLK level was larger in the non-DJF group. Post-sagittal stable vertebrae (SSV) moved cranially compared with pre-SSV., Conclusion: Age, CT HU, length of follow-up, estimated blood loss, and preoperative SVA were independent risk factors for DJF. We recommend fixation of the two vertebrae below the apex vertebrae for DTH to minimize surgical trauma., (© 2024 The Authors. Orthopaedic Surgery published by Tianjin Hospital and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.)

Kummell's disease (KD) is a rare clinical complication of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Minimally invasive surgery is an important way to treat KD. In this paper, we used Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP) and Vesselplasty (VP) to treat KD. 125 patients with KD were admitted to our hospital. Among them, 89 patients received PVP and 36 received VP. All patients underwent operations successfully. VAS scores and ODI of both groups at each postoperative time point were lower than preoperatively. Postoperative Cobb angle of both groups postoperatively was lower than preoperatively (p < 0.05). The anterior height and ratio of vertebra compression of both groups postoperatively was lower than preoperatively (p < 0.05). Cement leakage occurred in 16 vertebrae (16/89) in PVP group and one (1/36) in VP group. Two patients suffered from transient paraplegia in PVP group immediately after operation. Adjacent vertebral fractures occurred in one patient in PVP group and one in VP group. Re-fracture of affected vertebra occurred in one patient in PVP group. Besides, four patients suffered from bone cement loosening in PVP group while one in VP group. Both PVP and VP play an important effect in pain relief and functional recovery for the treatment of KD. And VP is more effective than PVP in preventing cement leakage., (© 2024. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: Since vertebral fragility fractures (VFFs) might increase the risk of subsequent fractures, we evaluated the incidence rate and the refracture risk of subsequent vertebral and non-vertebral fragility fractures (nVFFs) in untreated patients with a previous VFF., Methods: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library up to February 2022 for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that analyzed the occurrence of subsequent fractures in untreated patients with prior VFFs. Two authors independently extracted data and appraised the risk of bias in the selected studies. Primary outcomes were subsequent VFFs, while secondary outcomes were further nVFFs. The outcome of refracture within ≥ 2 years after the index fracture was measured as (i) rate, expressed per 100 person-years (PYs), and (ii) risk, expressed in percentage., Results: Forty RCTs met our inclusion criteria, ranging from medium to high quality. Among untreated patients with prior VFFs, the rate of subsequent VFFs and nVFFs was 12 [95% confidence interval (CI) 9-16] and 6 (95% CI 5-8%) per 100 PYs, respectively. The higher the number of previous VFFs, the higher the incidence. Moreover, the risk of VFFs and nVFFs increased within 2 (16.6% and 8%) and 4 years (35.1% and 17.4%) based on the index VFF., Conclusion: The highest risk of subsequent VFFs or nVFFs was already detected within 2 years following the initial VFF. Thus, prompt interventions should be designed to improve the detection and treatment of VFFs, aiming to reduce the risk of future FFs and properly implement secondary preventive measures., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: To identify some clinical and laboratory independent risk factors for postoperative recompression among elderly osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) patients., Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted on 287 elderly OVCF patients after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP). Relevant risk factors for recompression were screened and further analyzed through multivariate logistic regression., Results: Within postoperative 1 year, recompression had occurred in 72 patients, with an incidence of 25.1% (72/287). Multivariate logistic analysis indicated that mean spinal BMD <  - 2.85 (OR: 4.55, 95%CI 2.22-9.31, P < 0.001), ODI ≥ 68.05% (OR: 6.78, 95%CI 3.16-14.55, P < 0.001), PNI score < 43.1 (OR: 2.81, 95%CI 1.34-5.82, P = 0.005), and mFI score ≥ 0.225 (OR: 8.30, 95%CI 3.14-21.95, P < 0.001) were four distinct risk factors that independently contributed to postoperative recompression., Conclusions: Spinal BMD, ODI, PNI and mFI independently predict recompression in OVCF patients after PVP treatment., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.)

Bone fragility in men who are treated with androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) has a complex pathophysiology that differs from that of primary and post-menopausal osteoporosis. Fracture risk assessment based on bone mineral density (BMD) and Fracture Risk Assessment Tool (FRAX) score might not be effective in this patient setting, since high frequency of fragility fractures has been reported even in subjects with low FRAX risk and normal BMD. In this paper we want to emphasize the importance in the individual assessment of bone fragility and prediction of fractures by measuring parameters of bone quality, assessing morphometric vertebral fractures and evaluating body composition that in subjects under hormone-deprivation therapies can play a crucial role. Noteworthy, a single mini-invasive diagnostic tool, i.e., the dual energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) scan, offers the opportunity to evaluate reliably parameters of bone quality (e.g., trabecular bone score) and body composition, besides measurement of BMD and assessment of vertebral fractures by a morphometric approach. This article highlights the values and cost-effectiveness of this mini-invasive tool in the context of multidisciplinary approach to subjects with prostate cancer under ADTs., (© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.)

Purpose: In this 6-year study we identified factors associated with spontaneous vertebral body reshaping in glucocorticoid (GC)-treated children with leukemia, rheumatic disorders, and nephrotic syndrome., Methods: Subjects were 79 children (mean age 7.4 years) who had vertebral fracture (VF) evaluation on lateral spine radiographs at least 1 year after VF detection. VF were graded using the modified Genant semiquantitative method and fracture burden for individuals was quantified using the spinal deformity index (SDI; sum of grades from T4 to L4)., Results: Sixty-five children (82.3%) underwent complete vertebral body reshaping (median time from VF detection to complete reshaping 1.3 years by Cox proportional hazard modeling). Of 237 VF, the majority (83.1%) ultimately reshaped, with 87.2% reshaping in the thoracic region vs 70.7% in the lumbar region (P = .004). Cox models showed that (1) every g/m2 increase in GC exposure in the first year after VF detection was associated with a 19% decline in the probability of reshaping; (2) each unit increase in the SDI at the time of VF detection was associated with a 19% decline in the probability of reshaping [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.81; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.71, 0.92; P = .001]; (3) each additional VF present at the time of VF detection reduced reshaping by 25% (HR = 0.75; 95% CI = 0.62, 0.90; P = .002); and (4) each higher grade of VF severity decreased reshaping by 65% (HR = 0.35; 95% CI = 0.21, 0.57; P < .001)., Conclusion: After experiencing a VF, children with higher GC exposure, higher SDI, more severe fractures, or lumbar VF were at increased risk for persistent vertebral deformity., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objectives: This study aimed to unidimensionally measure procedural pain at each percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) stage and evaluate the effectiveness of paravertebral nerve block (PVNB) in reducing procedural pain., Methods: A retrospective study of prospectively collected data was conducted on 66 patients who underwent PVP for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. The patients were divided into 2 groups: group A (fluoroscopic-guided PVNB; 5 cm 3 of 0.75% ropivacaine on each side) and group B (local anesthesia). To investigate procedural pain associated with PVP, the visual analog scale score was assessed at each surgical stage: before the incision (stage 1), transpedicular approach (stage 2), and polymethylmethacrylate cement injection (stage 3). After the procedure, patients were asked about their surgical experience and satisfaction using the Iowa Satisfaction with Anesthesia Scale. Periprocedural complications were also recorded., Results: A total of 63 patients (78.65 y of age) were finally enrolled: 30 from group A and 33 from group B. In both groups, a significant ≥2-point increase in procedural pain was observed during PVP compared with that during stage 1 ( P < 0.001). In stages 2 and 3, the pain intensity was significantly lower in group A ( P < 0.001). Upon discharge, the visual analog scale score improved in all groups; however, the Iowa Satisfaction with Anesthesia Scale score was significantly higher in group A ( P < 0.001). There was no difference in periprocedural complications between the two groups ( P = 0.743)., Conclusion: PVP causes significant procedural pain, and PVNB is a potentially effective modality for enhancing patient satisfaction and reducing procedural pain., Competing Interests: The authors declare no conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: To analyze the risk factors of new adjacent vertebral fractures (AVF) and remote vertebral fractures (RVF) after percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs)., Methods: Patients who underwent additional PVP for new OVCFs were enrolled. In addition, we set a 1:1 age-, sex-, surgical segment-, and surgical date-matched control group, in which patients underwent PVP without new OVCFs. Data on body mass index, occurrence time of second PVP, vertebral computed tomography (CT) Hounsfield Unit (HU) at the fracture adjacent segment, and RVF segment were collected., Results: A total of 44 patients who underwent additional PVP for new OVCFs at our hospital were included. AVF occurred significantly earlier than RVF (13.5 ± 14.1 vs. 30.4 ± 20.1 months, P = 0.007). Compared to the control group, the AVF segment CT HU was significantly lower in patients with AVF (28.7 ± 16.7 vs. 61.3 ± 14.7, P = 0.000), while there was no significant difference between patients with RVF and control group including both adjacent and RVF segment CT HU. Receiver operating characteristic curves identified a cutoff value of 43 for using adjacent segment CT HU to differentiate patients with AVF from controls, with a sensitivity of 80% and a specificity of 88.9%., Conclusions: Our study showed that the risk factors for AVF and RVF after PVP surgery were different. The occurrence of AVF was earlier and associated with low adjacent segment CT HU values, whereas the preoperative CT HU in both adjacent and RVF segments was not found to be associated with RVF., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Lumbar fractures and/or multiple fractures at the lumbar or thoracolumbar regions are risk factors for sagittal malalignment in patients older than 70 years old. Although patients with OVF show a huge capacity to compensate after the fractures, lumbar and TL lumbar fractures require closer monitoring., Purpose: To assess the impact of osteoporotic vertebral fractures on the sagittal alignment of the elderly and identify risk factors for sagittal malalignment., Methods: We performed a retrospective study on a cohort of 249 patients older than 70 years old and diagnosed with osteoporosis who suffered chronic vertebral fractures. Demographic and radiological data were collected. Full-spine lateral X-rays were obtained to analyze the sagittal plane. Patients were classified according to the number and location of the fractures. Pearson's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationships between the type of fractures and sagittal alignment., Results: A total of 673 chronic fractures were detected in 249 patients with a mean number of vertebral fractures per patient of 2.7 ± 1.9. Patients were divided into 9 subgroups according to the location and the number of fractures. Surprisingly, any of the aggregated parameters used to assess sagittal alignment exceeded the threshold defined for malalignment. In the second part of the analysis, 41 patients with sagittal malalignment were identified. In this subpopulation, an overrepresentation of patients with lumbar fractures (34% vs. 11%) and an under-representation of thoracic fractures (9% vs. 34%) were reported. We also observed that patients with 3 or more lumbar or thoracolumbar fractures had an increased risk of sagittal malalignment., Conclusions: Lumbar fractures and/or multiple fractures at the lumbar or thoracolumbar regions are risk factors for sagittal malalignment in patients older than 70 years old. Although patients show a remarkable capacity to compensate, fractures at the lumbar and thoracolumbar regions need closer monitoring., (© 2023. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Background: To date, few reports have evaluated the long-term outcome of percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) and the factors influencing the long-term outcome of this procedure are uncertain., Methods: A total of 91 patients underwent PKP for thoracolumbar OVCFs from June 2012 to December 2012. Pain Visual Analogue Scores (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were recorded preoperatively and after 10-year follow-up. Factors that may affect surgical outcome, such as gender, age, height, weight, hypertension, diabetes, cause of injury, fracture segment, length of hospitalization, history of previous spinal surgery, preoperative bone mineral density (BMD), preoperative VAS and ODI scores, length of surgery, bone cement dosage, postoperative standardized anti-osteoporosis treatment, and other new vertebral fractures, were analyzed by multiple linear regression with VAS and ODI scores at the last follow-up. The correlation factors affecting the efficacy were analyzed., Results: The preoperative and final follow-up pain VAS was 7.9 ± 1.1 and 2.2 ± 1.1. ODI scores were 30.4 ± 4.2 and 10.7 ± 2.6. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). Most of the patients were females aged 65-75 years who suffered low-energy injuries, with most of the fracture segments in the thoracolumbar region (T11-L2). At the final follow-up visit, 12 cases (13.19%) developed other new vertebral fractures, and 33 cases (36.26%) continued to adhere to anti-osteoporosis treatment after discharge. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that there was a statistical difference between gender and VAS score at the last follow-up (P < 0.05), and between age, cause of injury and postoperative standardized anti-osteoporosis treatment and ODI at the last follow-up (P < 0.05). There were no statistically significant differences between the other factors and the final follow-up VAS and ODI scores (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: The long-term outcome after PKP is satisfactory. Age, gender, cause of injury, and standardized postoperative anti-osteoporosis treatment may be factors affecting the long-term outcome., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Purpose: Prevention of fractures is an unmet need in glucocorticoid (GC)-treated Duchenne muscular dystrophy. This study explored factors associated with incident vertebral fractures (VFs) to inform future fracture prevention efforts., Methods: VFs were evaluated prospectively at study baseline and 12 months on lateral spine radiographs in participants aged 4 to 25 years with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Clinical factors were analyzed for their association with the change in Spinal Deformity Index (sum of the Genant-defined VF grades from T4 to L4) between baseline and 12 months., Results: Thirty-eight males were evaluated (mean ± SD age at baseline 11.0 ± 3.6 years; mean ± SD GC duration at baseline 4.1 ± 3.1 years; 74% ambulatory). Nine of 38 participants (24%) had 17 incident VFs, of which 3/17 VFs (18%) were moderate/severe. Participants with 12-month incident VF had lower mean ± SD baseline lumbar spine areal bone mineral density Z-scores (-2.9 ± 1.0 vs -1.9 ± 1.1; P = .049) and lower total body less head areal bone mineral density Z-scores (-3.1 ± 1.2 vs -1.6 ± 1.7; P = .036). Multivariable linear regression showed that at least 1 VF at baseline (P < .001), a higher number of antecedent non-VF (P < .001), and greater bone age delay at baseline (P = .027) were significant predictors of an increase in the Spinal Deformity Index from baseline to 12 months., Conclusion: The observation that ≥ 1 prevalent VF and/or non-VF were the strongest predictors of incident VFs at 12 months supports the need for prevention of first fractures in this high-risk setting. Bone age delay, a marker of GC exposure, may assist in the prioritization of patients in efforts to prevent first fractures., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Objective: Vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is the most prevalent fragility fracture. When conservative management fails, patients may undergo balloon-assisted kyphoplasty (BAK). In BAK, an expandable balloon preforms a cavity in the fractured vertebra before injection of bone cement. The aim of this study was to compare outcomes in patients stratified by age and frailty assessed by the Risk Analysis Index (RAI)., Methods: A retrospective analysis of 334 BAK procedures (280 patients) for osteoporotic VCFs at a single institution was performed (2015-2022). Patients with at least 1 year of follow-up were eligible for inclusion. Patient demographics were recorded, including age, sex, BMI, RAI score, tobacco and steroid use, osteoporosis treatments, and bone density. Patients who underwent outpatient surgery were identified, and length of stay (LOS) was obtained for admitted patients. The rates of additional VCFs after kyphoplasty, 30-day and 1-year postoperative complications, and reoperation were identified., Results: The overall rates of additional VCFs, 30-day postoperative complications, 1-year postoperative complications, and reoperation were 16.2%, 5.1%, 12.0%, and 6.3%, respectively. Patients were stratified by age: nonelderly (< 80 years; 220 patients, 263 treated vertebrae) and elderly (≥ 80 years; 60 patients, 71 treated vertebrae). There were no differences in sex (p = 0.593), tobacco use (p = 0.973), chronic steroid use (p = 0.794), treatment for osteoporosis (p = 0.537), bone density (p = 0.056), outpatient procedure (p = 0.273), and inpatient LOS (p = 0.661) between both groups. There were also no differences in the development of additional VCFs (p = 0.862) at an adjacent level (p = 0.739) or remote level (p = 0.814), 30-day and 1-year postoperative complications (p = 0.794 and p = 0.560, respectively), and reoperation rates (p = 0.420). Patients were then analyzed by RAI: nonfrail (RAI score < 30; 203 patients, 243 treated vertebrae) and frail (RAI score ≥ 31; 77 patients, 91 treated vertebrae). There were no differences in tobacco use (p = 0.959), chronic steroid use (p = 0.658), treatment for osteoporosis (p = 0.560), bone density (p = 0.339), outpatient procedure (p = 0.241), inpatient LOS (p = 0.570), and development of additional VCFs (p = 0.773) at an adjacent level (p = 0.390) or remote level (p = 0.689). However, rates of 30-day and 1-year postoperative complications in frail patients more than doubled in comparison with nonfrail patients (p = 0.031 and p = 0.007, respectively), and frail patients trended toward reoperation (p = 0.097)., Conclusions: BAK is a safe treatment in the elderly, and age alone should not be used as an exclusion criterion during patient selection. Frailty, which can be assessed reliably using the RAI, may serve as a better predictor for postoperative complications and reoperation following BAK.

Osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is common in the elderly population. In this report, we describe a case with radiculopathy due to foraminal stenosis caused by OVF in a very elderly patient that was treated successfully by full-endoscopic foraminotomy under local anesthesia. The patient was an 89-year-old woman who presented with a chief complaint of left leg pain for 5 years. She visited a couple of hospitals and finally consulted us to determine the exact cause of the pain. Computed tomography scans were obtained and selective nerve root block at L3 was performed. The diagnosis was radiculopathy at L3 due to foraminal stenosis following OVF. The patient had severe heart disease, so we decided to avoid surgery under general anesthesia and planned full-endoscopic spine surgery under local anesthesia. We performed transforaminal full-endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy at L3-L4 to decompress the L3 nerve root. The leg pain disappeared completely immediately after surgery. Postoperative computed tomography confirmed appropriate bone resection. The leg pain did not recur during a year of postoperative follow-up. OVF may cause lumbar radiculopathy as a result of foraminal stenosis, and transforaminal full-endoscopic lumbar foraminotomy under local anesthesia would be the best option in an elderly patient with poor general condition. J. Med. Invest. 71 : 179-183, February, 2024.

Objective: To retrospectively analyze prognostic factors in osteoporotic patients who treated with percutaneous vertebroplasty for refracture after vertebral augmentation., Methods: A retrospective analysis was performed of 61 patients with refractures after vertebral augmentation who received percutaneous vertebroplasty treatment again from January 2019 to December 2021. Based on the presence of back pain at the last follow-up, 17 patients were placed in the pain group, and 44 patients were placed in the pain-free group. The following covariates were reviewed: age; bone mineral density; bone cement dosage; bone cement leakage; body mass index; and rate of anterior vertebral height (AVH) loss in the target before surgery, 1 week after surgery, and at last follow-up. Patients were assessed using visual analogue scale score and Oswestry Disability Index., Results: Binary logistic regression analysis revealed that the rate of AVH loss after surgery was associated with postoperative back pain. According to the receiver operating characteristic curve analysis, the area under the curve of AVH loss rate at 1 week after surgery was 0.6845, and the cutoff value was 0.18; the area under the curve of AVH loss rate at the last follow-up was 0.7306, and the cutoff value was 0.2815. Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that patients with lower AVH loss rates had lower incidence of postoperative back pain and better prognosis., Conclusions: Occurrence of postoperative back pain was strongly associated with AVH loss after surgery. Patients with a lower rate of AVH loss had a lower incidence of postoperative back pain and a better prognosis., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

This study aimed to identify risk factors for the collapse of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVFs). We analyzed data from conventional radiography and computed tomography in patients with OVFs and found that older age and two radiological measurements were predictive for vertebral collapse. These factors can be useful for clinical practice., Purpose: To identify risk factors for collapse of osteoporotic vertebral fractures (OVF) on computed tomography (CT) and conventional radiography (CR)., Methods: This is a retrospective case-control study including a series of patients with OVF diagnosed at the emergency department of our institution from January to September 2019. Inclusion criteria were to have standing CR and supine CT within 2 weeks after the diagnosis of OVF and a follow-up CR at 6 months or later. We evaluated different imaging measurements at the initial diagnostic examinations, including vertebral height loss, local kyphosis, vertebral density, and fracture type according to the grading systems of Genant, Sugita, Association of Osteosynthesis (AO) Spine, and the German Society for Orthopaedics and Trauma. Vertebral collapse was defined as loss of ≥ 50% of vertebral area or height. Cases and controls were defined as OVFs which collapse and do not collapse, respectively, on follow-up., Results: Fifty-six patients were included in the study, with a mean age of 72.6 ± 1.2 years, including 48 women. Twenty-five (44.6%) OVFs developed collapse on follow-up. None of the fracture classification systems were found to be predictive of collapse. Multivariate analysis showed that older age, increased density ratio (≥ 2) between the fractured and non-fractured vertebral bodies, and a ≥ 6% difference in posterior vertebral height (PVH) loss between standing CR and supine CT exhibited 88% discriminative power in predicting vertebral collapse., Conclusions: Age over 72.5 years, a density ratio ≥ 2 between the fractured and non-fractured vertebral bodies, and a difference equal to or higher than 6% in PVH loss between standing CR and supine CT, are risk factors for developing vertebral collapse after OVF., (© 2023. International Osteoporosis Foundation and Bone Health and Osteoporosis Foundation.)

Context: Despite prevalent anti-osteoporosis medication (AOM) switching in real-world osteoporosis management, few studies have evaluated the impact of persistent AOM treatment, allowing for AOM switching, on the risk of subsequent fracture., Objective: We examined the association between persistence in AOM and subsequent fractures, allowing for medication switching among patients with osteoporotic fractures., Methods: This retrospective cohort study used Taiwan National Health Insurance claims data to select patients who initiated AOM between 2013 and 2016. Treatment persistence was defined as use of any AOM on a given day of interest with a 45-day grace period. Medication switch was allowed for persistence if remaining on treatment. AOMs with long-lasting inhibition of bone resorption (zoledronate and denosumab) were categorized as high-potency; others as low-potency. Multivariate Cox models were used to evaluate risk of subsequent fractures ≥3 months after initiating AOM., Results: A total of 119 473 patients were included (mean [SD] follow-up 46.4 [15.6] months), and 26.8% switched from the index AOM. Within 1 year, 52% remained persistent with AOM. Compared to patients with persistent AOM, those not persistent had higher risk of subsequent hip (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.31; 95% CI, 1.21-1.42), vertebral (aHR = 1.17; 95% CI, 1.13-1.22), and radius fractures (aHR = 1.16; 95% CI, 1.08-1.25). Patients with persistent AOM who switched from high- to low-potency AOM had higher risk of subsequent vertebral fractures than those with persistent AOM and no potency switch (aHR = 1.28; 95% CI, 1.02-1.60)., Conclusion: Patients with non-persistent AOM had higher risk of subsequent fractures than persistent users when allowing AOM switch. Switching AOM potency may influence the risk of subsequent vertebral fractures and warrants further investigation., (© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Endocrine Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

This meta-analysis investigated the effects of exercise on Visual Analog Scale (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) scores following vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty in osteoporotic fractures. A literature search of PubMed, EMBASE (Elsevier), CiNAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, and Web of Science was conducted from database inception to October 6, 2022. Eligible studies reported osteoporosis patients over 18 years of age with a diagnosis of at least one vertebral fracture via radiography or clinical assessment. This review was registered in PROSPERO (ID: CRD42022340791). Ten studies met the eligibility criteria (n = 889). VAS scores at baseline were 7.75 (95% CI: 7.54, 7.97, I 2  = 76.11%). Following initiation of exercise, VAS scores at the endpoint of 12 months were 1.91 (95% CI: 1.53, 2.29, I 2  = 92.69%). ODI scores at baseline were 68.66 (95% CI: 56.19, 81.13, I 2  = 85%). Following initiation of exercise, ODI scores at the endpoint of 12 months were 21.20 (95% CI: 14.52, 27.87, I 2  = 99.30). A two-arm analysis demonstrated improved VAS and ODI for the exercise group compared to non-exercise control at 6 months (MD = -0.70, 95% CI: -1.08, -0.32, I 2  = 87% and MD = -6.48, 95% CI: -7.52, -5.44, I 2  = 46%, respectively) and 12 months (MD = -0.88, 95% CI: -1.27, -0.49, I 2  = 85% and MD = -9.62, 95% CI: -13.24, -5.99, I 2  = 93%). Refracture was the only adverse event reported and occurred almost twice as frequently in the non-exercise group than in the exercise group. Exercise rehabilitation post vertebral augmentation is associated with improved pain and functionality, particularly after 6 months of exposure, and may reduce refracture rate., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Orthopaedic Research® published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Orthopaedic Research Society.)

Purpose: To compare the clinical efficacy of percutaneous functional spinal unit cementoplasty (PFSUP) and posterior spinal fixation combined with vertebroplasty (PSF + VP) for the treatment of symptomatic chronic osteoporotic vertebral fractures (SCOVFs)., Method: Thirty-one patients with SCOVFs were included in this retrospective study and divided into PFSUP ( n  = 14) and PSF + VP ( n  = 17) groups. Visual analog scores (VAS) and Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) were recorded before and after surgery and at the last follow-up. Besides, the local kyphosis angle (LKA) and sagittal vertical axis (SVA) were measured. The operation duration, number of X-ray exposures, amount of blood loss, bed rest duration, hospitalization duration, and presence of complications were recorded., Result: The VAS, ODI, LKA, and SVA after surgery and at the last follow-up were significantly improved in both groups compared to preoperative measurements. The PFSUP group experienced shorter operation duration (78.2 ± 13.1 vs. 124.7 ± 14.7, p  < 0.001), less blood loss (31.1 ± 8.1 vs. 334.7 ± 70.9, p  < 0.001), more X-ray exposures (92.1 ± 14.3 vs. 29.4 ± 5.5, p  < 0.001), shorter bed rest duration (12.4 ± 3.8 vs. 43.4 ± 10.0, p  < 0.001), shorter hospitalization (6.6 ± 2.4 vs. 10.9 ± 2.7, p  < 0.001), lower complication rate (28.5% vs. 64.7%, p  < 0.05), and higher cement leakage rate (42.9% vs. 5.8%, p  < 0.05) than the PSF + VP group., Conclusion: During the treatment of SCOVFs, the combination of PFSUP and PSF + VP can restore spinal stability, improve kyphosis, and relieve pain. PFSUP can reduce blood loss and complications, early mobilization, and shorten the hospital stay, but it is associated with a higher cement leakage rate and more radiation exposure.

Background Context: Adjacent vertebral fracture (AVF), a frequent complication of PVP, is influenced by factors such as osteoporosis progression, increased intervertebral cement leakage (ICL), and biomechanical deterioration. Notably, the risk of AVF is notably elevated in the cranial vertebral body compared with the caudal counterpart. Despite this knowledge, the underlying pathological mechanism remains elusive., Purpose: This study delves into the role of biomechanical deterioration as a pivotal factor in the heightened risk of AVF in the cranial vertebral body following PVP. By isolating this variable, we aim to unravel its prominence relative to other potential risk factors., Study Design: A retrospective study and corresponding numerical mechanical simulations., Patient Sample: Clinical data from 101 patients treated by PVP were reviewed in this study., Outcome Measures: Clinical assessments involved measuring Hounsfield unit (HU) values of adjacent vertebral bodies as a representation of patients' bone mineral density (BMD). Additionally, the rates of ICL were compared among these patients. Numerical simulations were conducted to compute stress values in the cranial and caudal vertebral bodies under various body positions., Methods: In a retrospective analysis of PVP patients spanning July 2016 to August 2019, we scrutinized the HU values of adjacent vertebral bodies to discern disparities in BMD between cranial and caudal regions. Additionally, we compared ICL rates on both cranial and caudal sides. To augment our investigation, well-validated numerical models simulated the PVP procedure, enabling the computation of maximum stress values in cranial and caudal vertebral bodies across varying body positions., Results: The incidence rate of cranial AVF was significantly higher than the caudal side. No notable distinctions in HU values or ICL rates were observed between the cranial and caudal sides. The incidence of AVF showed no significant elevation in patients with ICL in either region. However, numerical simulations unveiled heightened stress values in the cranial vertebral body., Conclusions: In patients postPVP, the cranial vertebral body faces a heightened risk of AVF, primarily attributed to biomechanical deterioration rather than lower BMD or an elevated ICL rate., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Postmenopausal women face a heightened risk of developing new vertebral compression fractures (NVCFs) following percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). This study aimed to develop and validate a visual nomogram model capable of accurately predicting NVCF occurrence post-PKP to optimize treatment strategies and minimize occurrence., Methods: This retrospective study included postmenopausal women diagnosed with OVCF who underwent PKP at the Affiliated Hospital of Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine between January 2016 and January 2021. Patient data, including basic information, surgical details, imaging records, and laboratory findings, were collected. The patients were categorized into two groups based on NVCF occurrence within 2 years post-PKP: the NVCF group and the non-NVCF group. Following the utilization of least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression for feature selection, a nomogram was constructed. Model differentiation, calibration, and clinical applicability were evaluated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC), calibration, and decision (DCA) curve analyses., Results: In total, 357 patients were included in the study. LASSO regression analysis indicated that cement leakage, poor cement diffusion, and endplate fracture were independent predictors of NVCF. The nomogram demonstrated excellent predictive accuracy and clinical applicability., Conclusions: This study used LASSO regression to identify three independent predictors of NVCF and developed a predictive model that could effectively predict NVCF occurrence in postmenopausal women. This simple prediction model can support medical decision-making and is feasible for clinical practice., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Vertebroplasty (VP) effectively treats vertebral compression fractures (VCFs). However, the issue of secondary new VCFs (SNVCFs) after VP is yet to be addressed. Therefore, identification of risk factors for SNVCFs after VP may aid the development of strategies to minimize SNVCF risk. This study aimed to retrospectively evaluate risk factors for SNVCFs after VP, including those associated with the type of anti-osteoporotic treatment administered after VP. Data from 128 patients who underwent single-level VP were collected and reviewed. Patients were divided into 2 groups: those with (n = 28) and without (n = 100) SNVCF within 1 year of VP. We collected the following patient data: age, sex, site of compression fracture, medical history, bone mineral density (BMD), history of long-term steroid use, history of osteoporosis drug use, duration between fracture and VP, VP implementation method (unilateral or bilateral), cement usage in VP, cement leakage into the disc, compression ratio before VP, pre- and postoperative recovery ratio of the lowest vertebral body height, and kyphotic angle of fractured vertebrae. These data were analyzed to identify factors associated with SNVCFs after VP and to investigate the effects of the type of anti-osteoporotic treatment administered for SNVCFs. SNVCFs occurred in 28 patients (21.9%) within 1 year of VP. Logistic regression analysis identified BMD, cement leakage into the disc, and long-term steroid use to be significantly associated with the occurrence of SNVCFs. The group treated with zoledronate after VP had a significantly reduced SNVCF incidence compared with the group treated with calcium (P < .001). In addition, the zoledronate group had a lower SNVCF incidence compared with the groups treated with alendronate (P = .05), selective estrogen receptor modulators (P = .26), or risedronate (P = .22). This study showed that low BMD, presence of an intradiscal cement leak, and long-term steroid use were risk factors for developing SNVCFs following VP. Additionally, among osteoporosis treatments prescribed for VP, zoledronate may be the preferred choice to reduce the risk of SNVCFs., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)

Background: The ramifications of osteoporotic fractures and their subsequent complications are becoming progressively detrimental for the elderly population. This study evaluates the clinical ramifications of postoperative bone cement distribution in patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) who underwent both bilateral and unilateral Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP)., Objective: The research aims to discern the influence of bone cement distribution on the clinical outcomes of both bilateral and unilateral Percutaneous Vertebroplasty. The overarching intention is to foster efficacious preventive and therapeutic strategies to mitigate postoperative vertebral fractures and thereby enhance surgical outcomes., Methods: A comprehensive evaluation was undertaken on 139 patients who received either bilateral or unilateral PVP in our institution between January 2018 and March 2022. These patients were systematically classified into three distinct groups: unilateral PVP (n = 87), bilateral PVP with a connected modality (n = 29), and bilateral PVP with a disconnected modality (n = 23). Several operational metrics were juxtaposed across these cohorts, encapsulating operative duration, aggregate hospital expenses, bone cement administration metrics, VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) scores, ODI (Oswestry Disability Index) scores relative to lumbar discomfort, postoperative vertebral height restitution rates, and the status of the traumatized and adjacent vertebral bodies. Preliminary findings indicated that the VAS scores for the January and December cohorts were considerably reduced compared to the unilateral PVP group (P = 0.015, 0.032). Furthermore, the recurrence of fractures in the affected and adjacent vertebral structures was more pronounced in the unilateral PVP cohort compared to the bilateral PVP cohorts. The duration of the procedure (P = 0.000) and the overall hospitalization expenses for the unilateral PVP group were markedly lesser than for both the connected and disconnected bilateral PVP groups, a difference that was statistically significant (P = 0.015, P = 0.024, respectively). Nevertheless, other parameters, such as the volume of cement infused, incidence of cement spillage, ODI scores for lumbar discomfort, post-surgical vertebral height restitution rate, localized vertebral kyphosis, and the alignment of cement and endplate, did not exhibit significant statistical deviations (P > 0.05)., Conclusion: In juxtaposition with unilateral PVP, the employment of bilateral PVP exhibits enhanced long-term prognostic outcomes for patients afflicted with vertebral compression fractures. Notably, bilateral PVP significantly curtails the prevalence of subsequent vertebral injuries. Conversely, the unilateral PVP cohort is distinguished by its abbreviated operational duration, minimal invasiveness, and reduced overall hospitalization expenditures, conferring it with substantial clinical applicability and merit., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Background: To investigate the effect of Vertebral augmentation (VA) in the treatment of single-level osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) on new vertebral fractures., Methods: Electronic databases Pubmed, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were searched from database creation to 5 September 2022. Eligible studies had to use VA as an intervention and conservative treatment as a control group. Studies had to explicitly report whether new vertebral fractures occurred during follow-up. Data were extracted by multiple investigators. Data were pooled using random or fixed effects models depending on the degree of heterogeneity., Results: Of the 682 articles screened, 7 met the inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis, giving a total of 1240 patients. Meta-analysis showed that VA (OR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.35-3.28, P = .001) increased the risk of new postoperative vertebral fractures compared with conservative treatment. Subgroup analyses showed that the risk was greater in the group with a follow-up time greater than 1 year (OR = 2.57, 95% CI: 1.06-6.26, P = .001). Compared with conservative treatment, VA (OR = 2.17, 95% CI: 1.23-3.82, P = .007) increased the risk of postoperative adjacent vertebral fracture., Conclusion Subsections: VA is associated with an increased risk of new vertebral fractures and adjacent vertebral fractures following single-level OVCFs. With longer follow-ups, new vertebral fractures may be more significant. Clinical surgeons should pay attention to long-term postoperative complications and choose treatment carefully., Competing Interests: The authors have no funding and conflicts of interest to disclose., (Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc.)