Osteoporotic vertebral fractures are often left unreported during routine radiological examination worldwide. After an initial osteoporotic vertebral body fracture the subsequent risk for another fracture during the 1st year is 25%. Early identification can lead to prevention of other serious fractures.

Studies have shown that up to two thirds of vertebral fractures do not come to clinical attention. It is thought they are missed on routine radiology due to their low profile.Studies have concluded that 32% of false negatives were due to ambiguous terminology.

An audit was conducted to assess local practice in the identification and reporting of osteoporotic vertebral fractures according to the Genant criteria (fig 1-4). A re-audit was carried out to assess practice after recommendations had been implemented. As a standard we determined that 100% of vertebral fractures should be reported with standardised terminology.