Identification of prevalent vertebral fractures using Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) in asymptomatic postmenopausal women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

摘要

Background: Vertebral fracture (VF) is the most common osteoporotic fracture in postmenopausal women, although most VFs are subclinical. Prevalent VFs are a significant predictor of subsequent fracture and therefore, identification of VF improves the identification of those with high fracture risk. The aim of present study was to systematically review the literature that assessed the prevalence of VF in asymptomatic postmenopausal women, using Vertebral Fracture Assessment (VFA) by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry.