BALLOON KYPHOPLASTY
Vertebral compression fractures are the most common type of osteoporotic vertebral fractures. They may be produced spontaneously or after minimal trauma due to the fragility of the bone. Once a compression fracture appears, the risk of others happening is much, much higher. These fractures cause forward bending of the spinal column (kyphosis), and as kyphosis progresses, mobility, lung function and the patient’s quality of life are threatened, all of which will reduce their life expectancy.
Balloon kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure designed to strengthen the collapsed vertebra and correcting the kyphosis, achieving the following:
- Very significant pain relief
- Improvement in the quality of life
- Improvement in the ability to carry out daily activities
- Reduced hospital stay
- Reduced use of analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents, which promote osteoporosis.
- Faster recovery of mobility
- Minimal blood loss during the procedure
- Low complication rate
- Stabilisation of pathologic fracture
- Prevention of neurologic complications (compression of the spinal cord and its roots)
- Reduction of pain and of kyphosi
APPLICATIONS OF BALLOON KYPHOPLASTY
- Primary osteoporosis.
- Osteoporosis secondary to osteolytic lesions (due to metastatic tumours or multiple myeloma)
WHAT WILL HAPPEN DURING A BALLOON KYPHOPLASTY?
The patient will be lying face down on the operating table of the operating theatre or radiology department. They will be sedated intravenously, and then local anaesthesia is infiltrated into the area to be operated on. Under X-ray magnification, a needle is inserted on each side of the vertebral body through the vertebral pedicle. A balloon is introduced through this needle, and on inflating it a cavity is created within the vertebral body. Sometimes, if the fracture is recent, the vertebral deformity can be partially reduced. Finally, acrylic bone cement is injected into the cavity. On hardening, the cement will stabilise the fracture.
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Collapsed bone tissue puncture during balloon kyphoplasty
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Inflating the balloon during balloon kyphoplasty
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Acrylic cement injection during balloon kyphoplasty
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