Patients with vertebral fractures are frequently encountered and those with thoracic and lumbar spine fractures are likely to have associated injuries. Detection of a widened mediastinum after trauma is very nonspecific and most of the time it is related to aortic injury or mediastinal hematoma. Vertebral or sternal fractures can also be the cause of mediastinal hematoma with or without aortic ...

BACKGROUND Osteoporosis and vertebral fracture can have a considerable impact on an individual's quality of life. There is increasing evidence that physiotherapy including manual techniques and exercise interventions may have an important treatment role. This pragmatic randomised controlled trial will investigate the clinical and cost-effectiveness of two different physiotherapy approaches for ...

BACKGROUND To report to the orthopedic community a case of vertebral fracture and adjacent vertebral subluxation through the upper instrumented vertebra after thoracolumbar fusion with augmentation of the cranial level. METHODS This report reviewed the patient`s medical record, her imaging studies and related literature. The possible factors contributing to this fracture are hypothesized. R...

DECLINING ESTROGEN LEVELS at menopause result in increased bone turnover and a loss of bone mass, with subsequent increases in bone fragility and the risk of bone fracture. Vertebral fracture, in particular, is a common consequence of osteoporosis and may be considered the hallmark fracture for osteoporosis in postmenopausal women. Because of the high frequency of vertebral fractures in patient...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of diffusion weighted (DWI) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis and differentiation between benign (osteoporotic/infectious) and malignant vertebral compression fractures in comparison with histology findings and clinical follow up. METHODS The study was conducted at the Radiology Department, Aga Khan University Hos...

This article describes the independent factors that affect kyphotic angle reduction in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures with kyphoplasty. Between January 2008 and September 2011, one hundred twenty-six patients with a single-level osteoporotic compression fracture who underwent kyphoplasty were evaluated for a minimum of 1 year postoperatively. Nine independent vari...

BACKGROUND The study was aimed at the development of parameters that could be used as predictors of vertebral strength. Proposed parameters describing vertebral geometry and/or shape can be established on the basis of routine spine roentgenograms, making roentgenography a novel tool for vertebral fracture risk assessment in the future. MATERIAL/METHODS 20 human cadaveric L3 vertebrae were inc...

OBJECTIVE The aim of the study was to assess the use of Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) in patients with a history of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. METHODS We investigated 119 patients with postmenopausal osteoporosis complicated by one or more non recent vertebral fractures. RESULTS More than 60% of the patients took at least one dose of NSAID weekly. The most prescribed...

As the world's population ages, the incidence of osteoporosis defined by decreased bone mass and alteration of microarchitecture has inevitably increased. This results in osteoporosis-associated fracture and leads to debilitating health outcomes and a considerable economic burden on the health care system. In this issue of the Journal of the Chinese Medical Association, Lin and colleagues have ...

BACKGROUND To describe the health related quality of life in a population sample of postmenopausal women over the age of 50 and resident in the city of Valencia (Spain), according to the presence/absence of osteoporosis and the severity of prevalent morphometric vertebral fractures. METHODS A cross-sectional age-stratified population-based sample of 804 postmenopausal women of 50 years of age...