Similarities in distribution pattern between acute multiple osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures and vertebral fractures cascades.

BACKGROUD

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) cascades (OVCFcs) repeatedly cause vertebral compression to involve multiple vertebra. This study aimed to introduce an accelerated form of OVCFcs: acute multiple OVCF (amOVCF).

METHODS

OVCF patients with multiple vertebral augmentations in a spine center between June 2016 and October 2020 were retrospectively studied. Demographics, spine trauma, anatomical distribution, and distribution pattern of OVCF in OVCFcs and amOVCF were summarized and compared.

RESULTS

429 patients with multiple vertebral augmentations in 1164 vertebra were included. There were 210 OVCFcs accumulating 622 OVCF and 219 amOVCF simultaneously involving 542 vertebra. The OVCFcs progressed at 0.48 fractures and 0.56 vertebra per year. Both OVCFcs and amOVCF demonstrated asymmetrical bimodal distribution in spine and most frequently involved L1. The incidence of adjacent OVCF was 40.14% in amOVCF with 2 OVCF and 84.72% in amOVCF with ≥ 3 OVCF, and the distribution pattern of OVCF was not significantly different between amOVCF and OVCFcs. The female/male ratio was 5.56 in OVCFcs and not different from that of 4.34 in amOVCF. The age of females (73.41 ± 8.08 and 76.29 ± 8.25 years old) but not males (77.20 ± 10.13 and 79.75 ± 10.21 years old) was significantly increased from initial to last OVCF in OVCFcs. amOVCF had similar age (72.26 ± 10.09 years old) as OVCFcs at initial OVCF (73.99 ± 8.51 years old) and were significantly younger than OVCFcs at last OVCF (76.82 ± 8.64 years old). 54.29% in OVCFcs and 48.4% in amOVCF reported no evident trauma, and the ratio of apparent spine trauma was higher in amOVCF (43.38%) than in OVCFcs (28.54%).

CONCLUSIONS

amOVCF are accelerated form of OVCFcs showing similar anatomical distribution and distribution pattern of OVCF in spine. Both amOVCF and OVCFcs cause multiple fragility fractures without significant spine trauma.