Kyphoplasty

Each year in the United States approximately 700,000 vertebral compression fractures occur.  The bones in your spine are called vertebrae.  The thick portion of bone at the front of each vertebra is referred to as the vertebral body.  A vertebral compression fracture (VCF) occurs when the vertebral body fractures and collapses.  Multiple VCFs cause the spine to shorten and angle forward, resulting in a stooped posture.  Most VCFs are caused by osteoporosis, a disease that causes bones to become brittle and break easily.

Until recently, treatment of these fractures would have been limited to bedrest, bracing and pain management.  Although appropriate in some cases, it does not address the deformity and other complications that can result from these fractures.  Left untreated, subsequent fractures can occur that leads to kyphosis (forward curvature of the spine.  Kyphosis compresses the chest and abdominal cavity, with potentially deadly consequences.

To repair VCFs Delnor’s Shodeen Vasular-Interventional Center offers balloon kyphoplasty.  In this minimally invasive treatment, orthopedic balloons are used to gently elevate the bone fragments in an attempt to return them to their correct position.  The physician creates a path into the fractured bone with a hollow instrument through a small incision only about one centimeter in length.  The balloon is guided through the hollow tube into the vertebra and then carefully inflated to raise the collapsed vertebra to its normal position.

Once the vertebra is in the correct position, the balloon is deflated and removed.  A void or cavity is left within the vertebral body where the balloon had been.  This void is then filled with a special cement to support the surrounding bone and prevent further collapse.  This process is usually repeated on the other side of the vertebral body.

The majority of patients undergoing balloon kyphoplasty report a significant reduction in pain, increased mobility and quality of life.