Treating Vertebral Compression Fractures With Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty is surgical procedure for compression fractures in the spine causing severe pain. There are three major aims for Kyphoplasty:
1. To eliminate or minimize back pain
2. To avoid more collapse in the fracture to prevent further deformity in the spine and keep the posture from hunching further
3. To re-establish normal alignment of the spine resulting in improvement of the posture.
It is a minimally invasive procedure requiring no surgical incision. The surgery can be carried out under local as well as general anesthesia in an inpatient or outpatient facility. Generally the procedure has a duration of 30-45 minutes.
Procedure of Kyphoplasty Surgery
The procedure of Kyphoplasty is typically described as under:
€ The patient lies facing downwards under either local or general anesthesia.
€ Two small openings (about 1 inch long) are made in the skin on the back to insert specialized tubes directly inside the fractured vertebra. Fluoroscopic monitoring is used to ensure accurate placing of the tubes.
€ A special balloon is then inserted inside the broken vertebra with the help of each tube. When the balloon gets on the right place, they are filled up with a liquid with the assistance of fluoroscopy. The aim is to restore the height of the broken vertebra back to original.
€ Then the balloons are deflated so that there is an empty cavity in the now expanded bone.
€ At this point of time, bone cement having very high viscosity is inserted through the tubes with fluoroscopic assistance making sure that the cement does not leak out of the vertebra. Within a few minutes the cement solidifies.
The patient can leave the bed and start walking as soon as they gain consciousness. Usually the patient is discharged the next day of surgery. Most of the patients do not need any strong pain medicine after 3 or 4 days of surgery. Physiotherapy can be started within two weeks of the surgery to strengthen the muscles in the spine.
Outcomes of Kyphoplasty
90% of the patients who received kyphoplasty to treat compression fractures due to osteoporosis showed 80 to 90% relief in pain within 2 weeks. There are different results in terms of correction of postural and restoration of the alignment of spine varying from case to case. However, 70 to 90% of ther patients regain 50% of the lost height. Improvements in functional performance are also a significant outcome of the kyphoplasty surgery.
1. To eliminate or minimize back pain
2. To avoid more collapse in the fracture to prevent further deformity in the spine and keep the posture from hunching further
3. To re-establish normal alignment of the spine resulting in improvement of the posture.
It is a minimally invasive procedure requiring no surgical incision. The surgery can be carried out under local as well as general anesthesia in an inpatient or outpatient facility. Generally the procedure has a duration of 30-45 minutes.
Procedure of Kyphoplasty Surgery
The procedure of Kyphoplasty is typically described as under:
€ The patient lies facing downwards under either local or general anesthesia.
€ Two small openings (about 1 inch long) are made in the skin on the back to insert specialized tubes directly inside the fractured vertebra. Fluoroscopic monitoring is used to ensure accurate placing of the tubes.
€ A special balloon is then inserted inside the broken vertebra with the help of each tube. When the balloon gets on the right place, they are filled up with a liquid with the assistance of fluoroscopy. The aim is to restore the height of the broken vertebra back to original.
€ Then the balloons are deflated so that there is an empty cavity in the now expanded bone.
€ At this point of time, bone cement having very high viscosity is inserted through the tubes with fluoroscopic assistance making sure that the cement does not leak out of the vertebra. Within a few minutes the cement solidifies.
The patient can leave the bed and start walking as soon as they gain consciousness. Usually the patient is discharged the next day of surgery. Most of the patients do not need any strong pain medicine after 3 or 4 days of surgery. Physiotherapy can be started within two weeks of the surgery to strengthen the muscles in the spine.
Outcomes of Kyphoplasty
90% of the patients who received kyphoplasty to treat compression fractures due to osteoporosis showed 80 to 90% relief in pain within 2 weeks. There are different results in terms of correction of postural and restoration of the alignment of spine varying from case to case. However, 70 to 90% of ther patients regain 50% of the lost height. Improvements in functional performance are also a significant outcome of the kyphoplasty surgery.
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