Abstract

We performed a case series study on the effectiveness of balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) for painful vertebral compression fractures in 60 patients with acute axial lumbar and/or thoracic spinal pain due to osteoporosis, trauma or cancer, who were referred to the pain center of a general hospital. The pain intensity levels appeared to be statistically significant different between the pain level at baseline (T0) and the three moments of measurement (T1, T2, T3) after the procedure, p<0.001. No statistically significant difference in Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain was found between the three moments of measurement after the procedure. No statistically significant difference in NRS for pain was found between the patients with osteoporosis and those with cancer between T0 and T1 (p=0.48). This study shows that in patients with painful (non) malignant vertebral compression fractures BKP can result in a statistically and clinically significant pain reduction lasting at least one year. There is a need for new high quality studies to define the place of BKP in patients with acute axial back pain due to vertebral compression fractures.

Keywords: Balloon vertebroplasty; Vertebrogenic compression fracture; Osteoporotic fracture; Mechanical low back pain