Kyphoplasty
Minimally invasive treatment for painful vertebral compression fractures
Understanding compression fractures
A vertebral compression fracture occurs when a bone in the spine collapses, most often because of osteoporosis, but also from trauma or tumors. These fractures can cause severe back pain, loss of height, and a forward-stooped posture that affects breathing, mobility, and quality of life.
Vertebral augmentation stabilizes the fracture from within, and studies have associated it with improved pain, mobility, and survival compared with nonsurgical management.
How balloon kyphoplasty works
-
The fracture
A compression fracture causes the vertebral body to collapse and lose height.
-
Creating a cavity
Through a small incision under X-ray guidance, a balloon is inserted into the vertebra and inflated, creating a cavity and sometimes restoring some height.
-
Stabilizing the bone
The balloon is removed and the cavity is filled with bone cement, which hardens into an internal cast that stabilizes the fracture.
In vertebroplasty, bone cement is injected directly into the fractured vertebra without a balloon. Your physician will recommend the best approach for your fracture.
What to expect
Before your procedure
Your physician examines you and orders X-rays, MRI, CT, or a bone scan to locate the fracture and determine how recent it is.
During your procedure
You're awake but sedated, and your back is numbed with local anesthetic. The procedure is performed through a small incision covered afterward with a bandage.
After your procedure
Your vital signs are monitored, and most patients go home within a few hours. Many notice pain relief within days. We'll also discuss bone health to help prevent future fractures.
Is kyphoplasty right for you?
It may be an option if:
- You have a painful vertebral compression fracture from osteoporosis, trauma, or a tumor
- Your pain limits your mobility or daily activities
- Imaging confirms a fracture that is likely to respond to augmentation
Our physicians will review your symptoms, exam, and imaging to determine whether this treatment is a good fit for you.
Risks
Risks include leakage of bone cement outside the vertebra (usually without symptoms), infection, bleeding, nerve injury, rare cement embolism, and new fractures in nearby vertebrae. Your physician will review the risks with you before your procedure. Individual results vary.
Images courtesy of Stryker.