2026 SICOT Annual Meeting: Pain relief and quality of life of percutaneous vertebral augmentation compared with conservative treatment for osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures: A systematic review and meta-analysis

11 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) involving 1781 patients with osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCFs) were included in this systematic review and meta-analysis comparing percutaneous vertebral augmentation with conservative treatment. Pooled outcomes included pain and quality of life at short-term and mid-term follow-up. Percutaneous vertebral augmentation produced greater pain relief at ≤1 month, 3 months, and 6 months, while improvements in quality of life were not statistically significant. Overall, vertebral augmentation appears to provide superior short- and mid-term pain relief compared with conservative care, although heterogeneity across studies limits the certainty of broader functional conclusions.