Kyphoplasty treats a painful vertebral compression fracture by restoring the shape of the collapsed bone and stabilizing it. Guided by x-ray, a needle is placed into the fractured vertebra, a balloon is inflated to create space and restore height, and bone cement fills the cavity. It is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthesia and patients go home the same day. Vertebroplasty is the related procedure that places cement without the balloon step. Candidates are patients whose fracture stays painful, most often from osteoporosis or trauma, and the procedure is generally most useful before the fracture heals in a collapsed position. Spine Institute of North America (Spine INA) in East Brunswick, New Jersey performs both.
Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty relieves spinal compression fractures by using a surgical filling of the vertebrae, which restores the original shape and configuration. Kyphoplasty is similar to Vertebroplasty and is a minimally invasive spine surgery option. During a Kyphoplasty procedure, your spinal specialist will insert a needle which is guided by an x-ray and targets the damaged vertebra in your back. Then, the doctor will insert a special bone cement. For a kyphoplasty, the doctor will first inflate a balloon into the compression fracture, then fill the balloon with the bone cement. Different physicians have different preferences between Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty, so discuss your options with your specialist.