Effect of Vertebroplasty Combined with Facet Joint Block in Relieving Acute Pain of Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fracture

Objective: To evaluate the efficacy of percutaneous vertebroplasty (PVP) combined with facet joint block (FB) on osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs). Methods: : 190 patients were reviewed in the study: PVP (Group P, n=90), PVP combined with FB (Group PF, n=100). Visual analogue scale (VAS) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were measured during pre-operation, 1 day, 1, 3, 6 and 12 months after the operation, repectively. And hospitalization time, operation time, complications and recurrence were compared in the two groups. Results: : Patients showed significantly decreased VAS and ODI at each observation point of the post-operation than the pre-operation in both groups ( P < 0.05). The VAS and ODI scores in Group PF were significantly lower than that in Group P 1 day and 1 month after the operation ( P 0.05). Conclusion: Both PVP combined with FB and PVP alone are effective treatment methods for OVCFs. But PVP combined with FB could provide better back pain relief than PVP alone in the short term after the operation for OVCFs.