Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures.

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures are a commonly encountered clinical problem. Although the majority of patients with this injury experience a benign and self-limited course of gradually resolving pain, a significant number continue to experience chronic pain and disability. In evaluating a patient with a vertebral compression fracture, the differential diagnosis must consider not only osteoporosis, but also various causes of osteomalacia, endocrinopathy, and malignancy.

Predictive value of intraosseous venography before percutaneous vertebroplasty.

Purpose: Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a novel approach for treating patients with painful vertebral body compression fractures. The use of intraosseous venography before the percutaneous injection of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is not universally accepted. The purpose of this study was to determine if intraosseous venography predicts PMMA flow characteristics when injected into a vertebral body.