Can an osteoporotic vertebral fracture cause compression of the spinal cord or cauda equina.

A 78-year-old woman developed an osteoporotic fracture of L2 followed two months later by spinal cord compression. Imaging study findings suggested a malignancy but a biopsy showed osteonecrosis, of which there was no evidence on the imaging studies. Osteonecrosis may be the cause of neurologic compromise associated with osteoporotic vertebral fractures.