Background: Because of aging of population, osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) appears an increasing incidence rate. Conservative therapy (CT) and balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) have been used to treat OVCFs. However, an increase in new vertebral compression fractures at nontreated levels following BKP is of concern. It is still not clear whether new fractures were a result of BKP and the purpose of this meta-analysis was to evaluate the new fractures risk after BKP compared with CT.
Methods: An exhaustive literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials and prospective nonrandomized controlled study that compared BKP with CT for patients suffering OVCF. A random-effect model was used. Results were reported as standardized mean difference or risk ratio with 95% confidence interval.
Results: Twelve studies were included and there was no significant difference in total new fractures (P = .33) and adjacent fractures (P = .83) between 2 treatments. Subgroup analyses did not demonstrate significant differences in follow-up period, mean age, anti-osteoporosis therapy, and the proportion of women.
Conclusion: Our systematic review revealed that an increased risk of fracture of vertebral bodies was not associated with BKP compared with CT.