What Kyphoplasty Is
Kyphoplasty is a minimally-invasive, non-surgical treatment that can alleviate the pain caused by compression fractures of the spine. In the past, patients with painful compression fractures had the options of taking pain medications, wearing a brace, getting bed rest, or undergoing surgery, which was often ineffective. Kyphoplasty is a newer procedure that has proven safe and effective, providing approximately 85-90% of patients with rapid pain relief.
With kyphoplasty, an interventional radiologist stabilizes a collapsed vertebra with injections of medical-grade bone cement into the spine. The cement-strengthened vertebra reduces pain and helps prevent future fractures in the surrounding vertebrae. It can also help straighten the “hunchback” sometimes caused by compression fractures.
With this procedure, a hole is drilled into the compressed vertebra and a balloon is inserted through the hole. The balloon is then inflated to re-expand the vertebra and give it more height. The balloon is removed and the cavity it created is promptly injected with bone cement. As the cement quickly hardens, it emits heat which deadens the inflamed nerves. Each affected vertebra may require more than one injection to distribute the cement evenly.
RIA radiologists perform this minimally-invasive procedure at several Denver area hospitals.