Prophylactic Vertebroplasty Decreases the Fracture Risk of Adjacent Vertebrae

INTRODUCTION Osteoporosis, the most common metabolic disorder, can eventually lead to fragility fractures. Of all osteoporotic fractures, vertebral wedge fractures are the most common. They are associated with pain, a decrease in quality of life, and a change in spinal alignment. The changed spinal alignment increases the chance of subsequent fractures: a wedge fracture changes the loading direction on adjacent vertebrae from what is normally an axial load into a more shearing load. In a previous study we have shown that intact, osteoporotic vertebrae are indeed more prone to failure under such off-axis loads. As the currently available treatments for wedge fractures are unable to fully remove the wedge shape of the fractured vertebra, the shearing aspect of the load remains after treatment. We hypothesize that the previously found increased fracture risk of adjacent (intact but osteoporotic) vertebrae, can be reduced when these adjacent vertebrae are prophylactically injected with bone cement.