A Biomechanical Investigation of Vertebroplasty in Osteoporotic Compression Fractures and in Prophylactic Vertebral Reinforcement

Abstract

Results suggest that augmentation of the vertebrae postfracture significantly increases failure load, while stiffness is not restored. Prophylactic augmentation was seen to increase failure strength in comparison to the predicted failure load. Stiffness appears to be maintained suggesting that prophylactic vertebroplasty maintains stiffness better than vertebroplasty postfracture.