Lopez CD, Boddapati V, Lombardi JM, et al. - A retrospective cohort study was conducted to explore recent trends in utilization and reimbursements of these procedures between 2012and 2017, a period which experienced a change in national guideline recommendations for these procedures. Between 2012 and 2017, researchers conducted a total of 24,316 vertebroplasties and 138,778 kyphoplasties in the Medicare population. It was shown that vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedure volume and utilization of both procedures have declined significantly in this large national Medicare database study. The results demonstrated that payments for kyphoplasty procedures have risen significantly, although average reimbursements to surgeons for vertebroplasties have significantly declined. According to the results, although vertebroplasty volume has significantly reduced, it is still being conducted and being reimbursed for, in spite of its controversial role in its treatment of vertebral fractures.