Vertebroplasty versus conservative treatment for vertebral fractures – Authors' reply

摘要

Since the design of the sham studies1,2 diff ers in many ways from that of Vertos II, the results could diff er as well. Diff erential diagnosis of pain from an osteoporotic vertebral com pression fracture includes myalgia, degenerative disease, and a herniated disc. Anamnesis, physical examination, and MRI of the spine are needed to diff erentiate between these causes. According to the criteria of Vertos II, a proportion of patients in the sham studies had no indication for vertebroplasty. In the sham intervention, the use of a local anaesthetic might have resolved secondary soft tissue and facet joint pain unlikely to be aff ected by vertebroplasty.