OBJECTIVE To investigate the clinical characteristics of male population who underwent vertebroplasty for osteoporotic compression fracture and evaluate the clinical, radiological outcomes compared to female group. METHODS The medical records and radiological data were reviewed in total 155 patients who underwent vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture from February 2006 to November 2009. We compared 32 male patients with 123 female patients in terms of preoperative factors, intraoperative factors, and clinical and radiologic outcomes. RESULTS The mean age of male group was 67.8~8.6 years and their mean T-score on bone mineral density (BMD) was -3.2+/-0.8. The mean age of female group was 71.8+/-8.9 years and their mean T-score was -3.7+/-0.7 (p=0.025 for age, p=0.002 for BMD). Male patients (21 out of 32, 65.6%) had more frequent traumatic event than female patients (51 out of 123, 41.5%) (p=0.012). The secondary osteoporosis was more frequently seen in male group than female group (53.1% vs 26.8%, p=0.005). The lump cement distribution pattern was found more frequently in male group than female group (46.9% vs 28.5%, p=0.040). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in clinical outcomes. CONCLUSION Male patients had significantly more risk factors for secondary osteoporosis and obvious traumatic event than female group. Clinicians should always be aware of secondary causes of osteoporosis and history of traumatic events in male patients with osteoporotic compression fracture and also pay attention to correct the cause of secondary osteoporosis and recommend anti-osteoporosis management.
