Abstract
Percutaneous Vertebroplasty (PVP) is an elegant less-invasive therapy for patients suffering from painful vertebral compression fracture. Good patient selection warrants successful PVP. Painful osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture refractory medical therapy is a primary indication for PVP. Patients improving on conservative medical therapy should not be treated by PVP. We present a typical case with osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture treated by PVP and discuss this case's indications. The main discussion is about the indications for PVP and the complications, including adjacent vertebral fracture after PVP and extravertebral cement leakage during PVP. Intravertebral cleft, which means pseudoarthrosis clinically, is a prime candidate for PVP, because it is thought to be imaging evidence of conservative therapy failure. Actually, in all PVP cases in our hospital, the ratio of the cases with intravertebral cleft was 80% in 2006 and 84% in 2007. Excellent image guidance and good indication are essential for selecting PVP.
