Efficacy of vertebral augmentation in the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) and percutaneous kyphoplasty (PKP) are common vertebral augmentation (VA) procedures for the treatment of osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF), each with their own advantages and disadvantages. In recent years, the development of new implant-assisted technologies has provided a breakthrough in VA. This study systematically evaluated and meta-analyzed the reports on new implant-assisted VA techniques in recent years, so as to provide evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment. Methods: The PubMed, Embase, Ovid, and SpringerLink databases were searched for randomized controlled studies on VA in the treatment of OVCF. In this study, patients in the experimental group were treated with PVP using the new implant-assisted VA technique, while patients in the control group were treated with PKP. Bias assessment was conducted using the tool integrated with the Revman 5.4 software, and meta-analysis was carried out to compare the mid-term postoperative pain relief, functional status, quality of life, and cement extravasation between the two groups (each presented with a forest plot). Results: Eight articles were finally included in the selection, involving a total of 1,027 patients. PVP surgery using the new implant-assisted VA technique was superior to PKP surgery in relieving postoperative pain [mean difference (MD) = -3.77, 95% CI: -5.63, -1.92, P < 0.0001] and improving the postoperative Oswestry Disability Index (ODI) score (MD = -1.59, 95% CI: -3.01, -0.16, P=0.03). However, it was not significantly different from PKP surgery in improving postoperative quality of life (MD = -0.27, 95% CI: -3.55, 3.01, P=0.87), and the cement extravasation rate was significantly lower than that of PKP surgery [odd ratio (OR) = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.74, P=0.004]. Discussion: The new implant- assisted VA technique can significantly relieve pain, reduce clinical symptoms, improve postoperative quality of life, and significantly reduce the problem of cement extravasation. However, this new technology is still evolving, and more high-quality randomized controlled studies on this topic are needed to provide stronger evidence.