Does vertebral height restoration achieved at vertebroplasty matter?

PURPOSE: Altered vertebral and spinal configuration after osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (VCF) is believed to contribute to postfracture morbidity. The objective of this study was to determine whether patients in whom partial vertebral height restoration (VHR) was achieved at percutaneous vertebroplasty had greater pain relief or improved quality of life compared with patients in whom no anatomic restoration was achieved. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Consecutive subjects undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty for painful osteoporotic VCFs completed the Osteoporosis Quality of Life Questionnaire (OQLQ) a validated, disease specific instrument that measures health related quality of life in women with osteoporosis with back pain caused by VCF. At postoperative week 2, month 2, and month 6, all subjects completed the mini-OQLQ, a validated extraction of OQLQ. Pain was rated with a standard visual analogue scale WAS). Radiographs were manually digitized and evaluated for the presence of dynamic mobility and VHR. The relationship between VHR achieved at percutaneous vertebroplasty and postoperative pain relief and quality of life outcome was examined by multivariate analysis. RESULTS: Forty-six subjects (32 women) under-went 49 percutaneous vertebroplasty procedures to treat 66 painful VCFs. Mean patient age was 74.3 years +/- 10.9. Mean fracture age was 2.5 months +/- 2.1. Pain rating fell from 7.7 +/- 1.8 to 2.8 +/- 1.8 within I day of percutarteous vertebroplasty and remained improved through month 6 (P <.001). All OQLQ domains improved substantially at week 2 (P <.02) and remained improved through month 6 (P <=.007). Preoperative dynamic mobility ranged -2.9 to 19.9 rum (average, 5.5 mm). Postoperative VHR in mobile VCFs ranged -2.1 to 9.6 mm (average, 2.9 mm). At all postoperative time points up to 6 months, pain and OQLQ domain scores were similar in patients who achieved partial VHR at percutaneous vertebroplasty compared with those in whom no VHR was achieved. CONCLUSION: Partial vertebral height restoration achieved at percutaneous vertebroplasty did not result in additional pain relief or improved quality of life beyond cement fixation alone.