Table 1.
Summary of baseline characteristics
| PV (N = 101 + 90 = 191)# | SHAM (N = 86) | Conservative (N = 101) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mean (SD) age (years) | 75.1 (10.1) | 76.9 (8.1) | 75.3 (8.5) |
| Women | 136 (72%) | 66 (77%) | 69 (68%) |
| Median (interquartile range) days local back pain before procedure | 38 (25–53) | 36 (25–51) | 25 (14–37) |
| Number of OVCFs at baseline | 251 | 108 | 120 |
| Type of fracture (Genant classification)* | |||
| Mild (10–20%) | 94 (37%) | 30 (28%) | 55 (46%) |
| Moderate (20–40%) | 109 (43%) | 49 (45%) | 45 (38%) |
| Severe (> 40%) | 48 (19%) | 30 (28%) | 20 (17%) |
| Wedge | 146 (58%) | 65 (60%) | 97 (81%) |
| Biconcave | 105 (42%) | 44 (40%) | 23 (19%) |
| Crush | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Vertebral level with bone oedema | |||
| Th5-Th10 | 55 (22%) | 24 (22%) | 32 (25%) |
| Th11-L2 | 150 (59%) | 69 (64%) | 66 (52%) |
| L3-L5 | 49 (19%) | 15 (14%) | 28 (22%) |
| No. of spinal levels treated | |||
| 1 | 140 (74%) | 66 (61%) | 70 (74%) |
| 2 | 36 (19%) | 15 (28%) | 17 (18%) |
| 3 or more | 13 (7%) | 4 (11%) | 7 (8%) |
| Bone density T-score | -2.7 (1.1) | -2.4 (0.9) | -3.0 (1.0) |
| Drugs for osteoporosis | 66 (35%) | 49 (57%) | 26 (26%) |
| Initial pain treatment | 182 (95%) | 78 (91%) | 94 (93%) |
| Initial VAS score | 7.8 (1.4) | 7.9 (1.6) | 7.5 (1.6) |
#101 patients from VERTOS II and 90 patients from VERTOS IV trial
*Indicates percentage loss of vertebral body height