Vertebroplasty∙ Balloon Kyphoplasty
Definition
Restoring the vertebral body by injecting bone cement through a needle inserted through the skin.
It is a procedure to alleviate the pain of compression fracture patients by injecting bone cement into the vertebral body through a needle inserted through the skin. It is a minimally invasive procedure which can stabilize the spine in a short period of time. If the vertebral body is severely collapsed, a balloon can be used to recover the height of the vertebral body, followed by bone cement injection.
- No skin incision needed
- Immediate pain relief after the procedure and early discharge
- No general anesthesia required, available for elderly patients with systemic medical condition (hypertension or diabetes)
- Selective reinforcement
Indication
- Painful compression fracture by osteoporosis, unresponsive for medical treatments
- Pain by primary spinal cord tumor, such as hemangioma or giant cell tumor
- Osteolytic lesion by multiple myeloma, lymphoma, or metastatic tumor
- Osteonecrosis
- Reinforcement of vertebral body or pedicle, required for posterior interbody fusion
- Chronic traumatic fracture accompanied with nonunion or cystic changes
Procedure
- 1.The patient lies down on their abdomen, relaxing their arms and legs.
- 2.Confirm the location of vertebral pedicles using C-arm on the anterior, posterior, and lateral sides.
- 3.Apply local anesthesia even though general anesthesia may be used in case of upper thoracic fractures.
- 4.A needle would be advanced through a 0.5~1.0cm incision up to the target of the vertebral body under x-ray projection.
- 5.Remove the needle and inject bone cement through the larger second needle.
- 6.In case of balloon kyphoplasty, a catheter with a balloon would be inserted to restore the height of the vertebral body, followed by bone cement injection.
Duration
Approximately 30 minutes
Hospital stay
Approximately 1 day
- A light shower is allowed 7 days later and bathing is allowed 4 weeks later
- Brace for 3 months
- Driving allowed after 2 months
- No hot pad or acupuncture on procedure sites due to concern of infection
- Please prevent becoming constipated or overweight by maintaining a proper diet.
- Alcohol, tobacco, and coffee are recommended to avoid
- Follow-up visit required after 1 month