Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty

Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are minimally invasive surgical procedures used to treat vertebral compression fractures, which are commonly caused by osteoporosis or trauma.

Causes

Symptoms

Treatment

Causes

Symptoms

Treatment

Who Needs It?

Kyphoplasty is a technique for stabilizing a damaged vertebral body, the supporting blocks of the spine. These may be damaged by osteoporosis, tumors, or trauma and this leads to severe pain in and around the spine. If conventional pain-relieving techniques cannot adequately control this, vertebroplasty may be considered.

How is it done?

This is performed in exactly the same manner as an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion, through a small incision in the front of the neck. The vertebral body is removed to reveal the ligament below which separates it from the dura, the membrane lining the spinal canal. This ligament is usually also removed and the spine thereby decompressed. The body of the vertebra is replaced either with a bone graft from the iliac crest (hip) or using a metal cage containing the bone fragments which were removed and act as a graft. A metal plate is often used to reinforce either type of fixation.

How will I feel afterward?

The severe spinal pain from the fracture is better within a few minutes of the procedure, but the passage of the needles, through the spinal muscles, does cause some spasm and hence some back pain. This usually settles down within a day or two.

What is the recovery like?

Most patients go home either the same day or the following day and need to be careful. They should avoid any lifting or bend for two or three weeks, to prevent the now strong bone from causing trouble and leading to a fracture in a neighboring one.