[Vertebroplasty in elderly patients : is less still too much ?]

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture is a frequent health problem in older persons that results in pain, morbidity but remains underdiagnosed. Although percutaneous vertebroplasty has been available for almost 30 years, the first randomized controlled trial was published only in 2007. Since then, multiple controlled studies mostly failed to definitely conclude about the benefits of this procedure, with meta-analyses of randomized controlled studies reporting rather negative results. This paper discusses the place of percutaneous vertebroplasty in the management of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures in older persons.