Spine Compression Fractures Best Treated With Vertebral Augmentation, Study Says

Interventional augmentation procedures for spine compression fractures have proven to strengthen bones for longer and result in shorter hospitals stays than non-operative treatment, such as bed rest, pain control and physical therapy, researchers at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore found. The initial cost of operating on compression fractures costs more than conservative management, but it costs less in the long run with lower in-hospital mortality and increased survival rates.

Medical management of such fractures cost $13.8 billion in 2001.

The study was published in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery.

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