Atraumatic vertebral deformities in elderly males

Little information is available on the prevalence of vertebral wedge deformities in elderly males; therefore, 116 ambulatory male volunteers age 65 and over were studied with lumbar and thoracic radiographs. Each patient was questioned concerning a history of high-energy spinal trauma. Those having 25% or greater anterior vertebral wedging were identified. Eleven percent of the males had at least one 25% atraumatic wedge deformity, and 2% had two or more such vertebra. These results are discussed in relation to the few published studies on this topic.