Current opinion in supportive and palliative care
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Curr Opin Support Palliat Care · Sep 2009
ReviewVertebral augmentation in osteoporotic and osteolytic fractures.
To discuss recent advances in percutaneous minimally invasive vertebral augmentation techniques used in the treatment of osteolytic and osteoporotic compression fractures. ⋯ The incidence of symptomatic vertebral compression fractures is on the rise. For those patients with severe pain or progressive collapse due to osteoporotic or osteolytic vertebral compression fractures, early vertebral augmentation affords excellent early pain relief, early return to function, and restores and maintains sagittal alignment.
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To summarize and discuss recent research aimed at evaluating palliative care services, and other complex interventions in end-of-life care. ⋯ Health services research is crucial in end-of-life care because of the complex services and patients and families cared for. Health services research can provide information about the most effective (and cost-effective) strategies to improve the quality of end-of-life care. During recent years some interesting research and study protocols dealing with the evaluation of complex end-of-life programs have been designed and implemented.