Abstract
When bone becomes frail due to metabolic disorders, one or more vertebral fractures
(VFs) may occur. A vertebral body fracture after minor trauma is a hallmark of osteoporosis.
VFs represent a target in clinical practice and are often an endpoint in clinical
trials. The health care and economic burden of VFs is huge, and they also significantly
increase mortality and morbidity, as well as impairing function and quality of life.
VFs are frequently clinically silent, thus imaging plays a role not only after symptoms
appear but also in screening. A VF can be detected incidentally during imaging examinations
performed for different clinical indications. A rapid look at the spine included in
the scanned field may lead to the discovery of a VF, which must be reported because
the event may change the management of the patient and prevent further problems, defusing
the so-called vertebral fracture cascade. This review article focuses on VF awareness
and identification to answer these questions: What is a VF? What is the impact of
VFs? How can we detect VF?
Keywords
bone diseases metabolic - osteoporosis - osteoporotic fractures - spinal fractures
- incidental findings
