The purpose of this study is to determine whether percutaneous vertebroplasty is able to improve long-term quality of life in patients with pain secondary to osteoporotic vertebral fractures, compared to conventional medical treatment.

Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are associated with pain and severe disability in a high percentage of patients. Vertebroplasty has become the treatment of choice to alleviate pain in those patients who have not responded to medical treatment.Although several case series and non-randomized studies have shown the effectiveness of vertebroplasty in alleviating pain secondary to osteoporotic vertebral fractures, the long-term effect of this treatment has not been compared to standard medical treatment in a randomized study.

In our study we have analyzed the long-term effect of vertebroplasty in terms of quality of life in patients with painful osteoporotic vertebral fractures, randomizing them into two arms: percutaneous vertebroplasty or conventional medical treatment.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Painful (pain intensity of at least 4 on a scale from 0 to 10) osteoporotic vertebral fracture between levels T4 and L5
• Fragility; i.e. fracture not in relation with significant trauma
• Recent fracture, pain beginning not earlier than 1 year before inclusion

Exclusion Criteria:

• No vertebral edema on STIR MR images
• Uncorrectable bleeding diatheses
• Active infection
• Substantial retropulsion of bony fragments
• Non-osteoporotic fracture
• Concomitant neoplasm