Clinical Outcomes of Patients with Osteoporotic Thoracolumbar Fracture Treated with Percutaneous Vertebroplasty and Balloon Kyphoplasty

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of vertebroplasty (VP) or kyphoplasty (KP) in patients with vertebral body fractures due to osteoporosis. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively analysed 26 patients who underwent VP and KP for thoracolumbar osteoporotic fracture. Two groups were formed according to the procedure. While VP was applied to 14 cases, KP was applied to 12 cases. The cases were evaluated radiologically with Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Computed Tomography (CT), and X-ray radiography. Before and after treatment, the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) was used to compare daily activities, while the visual analogue scale (VAS) measured resting pain. Results: VP and KP were applied to 22 female and 4 male cases. Preoperative VAS scores were similar in both groups and were not statistically significant (p=0.995). Preoperative ODI scores were similar in both groups and were not statistically significant (p=0.842). Cement leakage without the neurological deficit was observed in 5 patients. Conclusion: The effects of VP and KP procedures on VAS and ODI scores are similar. However, economically, the cost of KP is relatively high compared to VP. The study suggests using VP due to its low cost and clinically similar results on VAS and ODI scores compared to KP.