Vertebroplasty and khyphoplasty are minimally-invasive procedures that are used to treat vertebral fractures, usually caused by osteoporosis or bone tumors. The pain of vertebral fractures is caused by the compression and shifting of the damaged vertebrae, so vertebroplasty and khyphoplasty treat the pain and the fracture by shoring up the vertebrae with bone cement.
Vertebroplasty and khyphoplasty are minimally invasive procedures in which fluoroscopy (live x-ray) imaging is used to precisely place a needle at the location of the fracture. The bone cement is injected directly into the vertebrae, then allowed to harden so it can strengthen and support the vertebrae.
Vertebroplasty is appropriate for cracked or broken vertebrae, but for vertebrae that have suffered compression fractures, khyphoplasty is more successful. Kyphoplasty involves the insertion of a balloon catheter into the compressed vertebrae. The balloon is filled with bone cement and allowed to harden. This restructures and rebuilds the vertebrae so that it can provide support for the spine again.
Both vertebroplasty and khyphoplasty not only relieve the pain of damaged vertebrae, but they also prevent further damage from the original fracture.
It requires no stitches, no general anesthesia, and it has a very quick recovery time. Most people experience complete pain relief immediately after the procedure, others report that their pain was gone or significantly reduced within 48 hours.
We have the largest experience with vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty in the midwest, having performed over 2000 procedures. We have authored numerous articles on this procedures and have taught other physicians internationally.
This is a needle-based procedure that our doctors perform our freestanding facility in Dayton, Ohio. The procedure takes about an hour and requires no overnight stay.