Rapid responses are electronic comments to the editor. They enable our users
to debate issues raised in articles published on bmj.com. A rapid response
is first posted online. If you need the URL (web address) of an individual
response, simply click on the response headline and copy the URL from the
browser window. A proportion of responses will, after editing, be published
online and in the print journal as letters, which are indexed in PubMed.
Rapid responses are not indexed in PubMed and they are not journal articles.
The BMJ reserves the right to remove responses which are being
wilfully misrepresented as published articles or when it is brought to our
attention that a response spreads misinformation.
From March 2022, the word limit for rapid responses will be 600 words not
including references and author details. We will no longer post responses
that exceed this limit.
The word limit for letters selected from posted responses remains 300 words.
We wish to clarify two points that were made in our Letter to the
Editor that were inadvertently altered as a result of editing by the BMJ.
Our first point was that while we agree with Dr Wilson that vertebroplasty
cannot be recommended as first line therapy, current evidence favours no
role whatsoever.
Second, rather than suggesting that doubts remain about
the role of vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral fracture, we wanted
to make the point that if others thought additional randomized trials were
justified, it would be essential to blind treatment allocation,
participants and investigators, necessitating the use of a sham or placebo
control.
Competing interests:
No competing interests
12 August 2011
Rachelle Buchbinder
Director and Professor, Monash Dept Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute; and spital, and Dept E
Clarification of two points
We wish to clarify two points that were made in our Letter to the
Editor that were inadvertently altered as a result of editing by the BMJ.
Our first point was that while we agree with Dr Wilson that vertebroplasty
cannot be recommended as first line therapy, current evidence favours no
role whatsoever.
Second, rather than suggesting that doubts remain about
the role of vertebroplasty for osteoporotic vertebral fracture, we wanted
to make the point that if others thought additional randomized trials were
justified, it would be essential to blind treatment allocation,
participants and investigators, necessitating the use of a sham or placebo
control.
Competing interests: No competing interests