Spinal Procedures
Kyphoplasty/Vertebroplasty
Balloon Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment option for patients suffering from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis. Balloon Kyphoplasty is designed to correct spinal deformity due to osteoporotic fractures, significantly reducing back pain and improving a patient’s ability to return to daily activities.
In the U.S., according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation, each year 700,000 patients suffer from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis. Unfortunately, over 400,000 of these fractures go undiagnosed and untreated due in part to lack of awareness about osteoporosis and available treatment options.
Some spinal fractures may collapse acutely while others collapse more slowly. Left untreated, one fracture can lead to subsequent fractures, often resulting in a condition called kyphosis, or rounded back. Kyphosis, signified by the dowager’s hump, can compress the chest and abdominal cavity, which may result in negative health consequences. Diagnosing such fractures is the first step toward providing patients who have been impacted by this devastating disease state with hope for treatment.
Balloon Kyphoplasty is an orthopaedic treatment that stabilizes the fracture, thereby reducing pain and providing for correction of the deformity. Studies also report the following benefits:
- • Correction of vertebral body deformity
- • Significant reduction in back pain
- • Significant improvement in mobility
- • Low complication rate
About the Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure
Osteoporosis is a disease that causes the bones of the spine to weaken and often collapse, resulting in spinal fractures. Traditional treatment for spinal fractures includes bed rest, medication and back bracing. While these therapies may help to decrease a patient’s pain over time, they do not treat the deformity related to the osteoporotic fractures.
The consequences of untreated fractures can be devastating. Once a patient suffers one vertebral compression fracture, the risk of suffering a second fracture increases five-fold. Diagnosing such fractures is the first step toward providing patients who have been impacted by this devastating disease state with hope for treatment.
For the Balloon Kyphoplasty Procedure, Dr. Lestini creates a small pathway into the fractured bone. A small, orthopaedic balloon is guided through the instrument into the vertebra. The incision site is approximately 1 cm in length.
The balloon is carefully inflated in an attempt to raise the collapsed vertebra and return it to its normal position. Inflation of the balloon creates a void (cavity) in the vertebral body.
Once the vertebra is in the correct position, the balloon is deflated and removed. The cavity is filled with bone cement forming an “internal cast” to support the surrounding bone and prevent further collapse.
If you have a spinal fracture, Balloon Kyphoplasty can restore vertebral body height, significantly reduce back pain and increase mobility, often shortly after the procedure. In addition to pain reduction, patients experience an increased ability to return to such simple, everyday activities as walking, reaching, bending and lifting. For more information on Balloon Kyphoplasty, see www.kyphon.com.
For more information about osteoporosis and spinal fractures, please visit the National Osteoporosis Foundation web site at www.nof.org.
For a consultation concerning treatment options for a spinal fracture, please contact Triangle Spine and Back Care Center℠ at 919-876-7676.
