To evaluate the clinical outcome of vertebroplasty, and to analyze the causes of poor results.

The radiological and clinical results of thirty-eight patients who were followed for more than one year after vertebroplasty for painful osteoporotic compression fractures were retrospectively analyzed.

There were 10 recollapses and 6 fractures of adjacent vertebrae. Most of these occurred in the thoracolumbar junction (9 and 5 respectively). Pain was significantly improved in the immediate postoperative period, that is, from 9.3±0.7 points on a 10-point pain scale preoperatively to 2.0±0.7 points postoperatively (p<0.001). However, at the last follow-up, this was aggravated to 3.9±3.3, and eleven (29%) patients had moderate (5-7 points) or severe (8-10) pain. The main causes of aggravation of pain were recollapses (5 cases) and/or fractures of adjacent vertebrae (5).

Vertebroplasty resulted in excellent relief from pain in the immediate postoperative period, but the more-than-one-year follow-up results were less satisfactory, and this was particularly true in the thoracolumbar junction. The possibility of recollapse or of fractures of adjacent vertebrae must be kept in mind.