WHAT ARE THESE PROCEDURES? Vertebroplasty & kyphoplasty

Any surgical procedure with ‘plasty’ on the end of its name means repair.

So vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are treatments of painful fractures involving the vertebral bodies that make up the spinal column. When a vertebral body fractures, the usual rectangular shape of the bone becomes compressed, causing pain.

These compression fractures may involve the collapse of one or more vertebrae in the spine and are a common result of osteoporosis. Vertebrae may also become weakened by cancer.

For a vertebroplasty, doctors use image guidance, typically fluoroscopy, to inject a cement mixture into the fractured bone through a hollow needle. During kyphoplasty, a balloon is first inserted into the fractured bone through the hollow needle to create a cavity or space. The cement is injected into the cavity once the balloon is removed.