What Vertebroplasty Is
Vertebroplasty 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. Vertebroplasty is a newer procedure that has proven safe and effective, providing approximately 85-90% of patients with rapid pain relief.
With vertebroplasty, 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.
When performing the procedure, the radiologist uses imaging guidance and contrast medium to carefully insert a hollow needle through a small incision in your skin into the collapsed vertebra. Bone cement is injected through the needle into the vertebra, where it quickly hardens. As the cement 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.