EVOLVE—Significant Improvements in Pain, Disability, Quality of Life and Overall Health with Use of Balloon Kyphoplasty for Vertebral Compression Fractures in Medicare-Eligible Patients Despite Minimal Improvements in Vertebral Body Height and Kyphotic Angulation

BACKGROUND CONTEXT: Osteoporotic and neoplastic vertebral compression fractures (VCF) are common and painful. In the United States, more than 1.5 million vertebral fractures occur annually and 40% of those over the age of 80 will experience this pathology, threatening quality of life and increasing morbidity and mortality. Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgery developed to restore height and reduce pain associated with these fractures. The EVOLVE longitudinal cohort, followed over one year, experienced minimal improvement in kypohotic angulation or vertebral body height; however, patients demonstrated significant improvements in pain, disability, quality of life and overall health.