Kyphoplasty and Vertebral Augmentation

Kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty are minimally invasive treatments for a vertebra that has cracked and collapsed, most often because bone has become fragile with osteoporosis, and sometimes because a tumour has weakened it. Through a needle placed into the broken bone under imaging guidance, medical bone cement is injected to fill the fracture and set within minutes, turning a mobile, painful break into a stable one. In balloon kyphoplasty a small balloon is inflated first to create a cavity and lift some of the lost height before the cement is placed. Many people notice a marked change in pain within a day, which is why the treatment is often chosen when a fracture has not settled with rest and medicine.