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Vertebroplasty/Kyphoplasty
These are injection of Cement into a vertebral body in the spine to remove pain from a fracture. Usually the fracture is due to osteoporosis but it can be due to general trauma or tumour.
The results are usually very good indeed with a high level of pain relief (93% patients report substantial pain relief). It is usually advisable to wait for up to eight weeks after the fracture has occurred as most osteoporotic fractures of the spine heal themselves and become pain free without any need for any procedure.
The surgeon may recommend vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty if you have severe pain needing hospitalisation even before eight weeks, pain after eight weeks, inability to tolerate pain killers.
The risks of the procedure are damage to nerves, spinal cord or blood vessels as the needles to inject the cement are placed. This is why this is done under careful control by X-ray. Another risk is cement leakage which is very much decreased by the use currently of high viscosity cements. These are injected in a putty like state so the risk of leaking out into the spinal canal or main blood vessels is massively decreased.
Vertebroplasty
This is simple injection of cement into the vertebral body. It is usually performed through simple stab incisions in the skin of the back. The cement used is high viscosity so it does not run into veins.
It does not usually correct any collapse of the vertebra it stabilises a painful fracture.
Because this procedure is so simple it can be done as a day case with sedation, and improvement in pain can be expected very quickly.
Kyphoplasty
This again is injection of cement into the vertebral body but with kyphoplasty before the cement in injected a balloon is inserted into the collapsed vertebral body which inflates with high pressure and attempts to restore the normal height of that vertebra. The balloon is then deflated and withdrawn and cement is then injected. This balloon inflation also creates a space for the cement to be injected into.
There are many systems out on the market to do these procedures and the Joint Reaction spinal surgeons use those systems which we feel are the safest and most efficient for patients.
If you do notice any side effects after this procedure you must inform your doctor straight away.
These are injection of Cement into a vertebral body in the spine to remove pain from a fracture. Usually the fracture is due to osteoporosis but it can be due to general trauma or tumour.
The results are usually very good indeed with a high level of pain relief (93% patients report substantial pain relief). It is usually advisable to wait for up to eight weeks after the fracture has occurred as most osteoporotic fractures of the spine heal themselves and become pain free without any need for any procedure.
The surgeon may recommend vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty if you have severe pain needing hospitalisation even before eight weeks, pain after eight weeks, inability to tolerate pain killers.
The risks of the procedure are damage to nerves, spinal cord or blood vessels as the needles to inject the cement are placed. This is why this is done under careful control by X-ray. Another risk is cement leakage which is very much decreased by the use currently of high viscosity cements. These are injected in a putty like state so the risk of leaking out into the spinal canal or main blood vessels is massively decreased.
Vertebroplasty
This is simple injection of cement into the vertebral body. It is usually performed through simple stab incisions in the skin of the back. The cement used is high viscosity so it does not run into veins.
It does not usually correct any collapse of the vertebra it stabilises a painful fracture.
Because this procedure is so simple it can be done as a day case with sedation, and improvement in pain can be expected very quickly.
Kyphoplasty
This again is injection of cement into the vertebral body but with kyphoplasty before the cement in injected a balloon is inserted into the collapsed vertebral body which inflates with high pressure and attempts to restore the normal height of that vertebra. The balloon is then deflated and withdrawn and cement is then injected. This balloon inflation also creates a space for the cement to be injected into.
There are many systems out on the market to do these procedures and the Joint Reaction spinal surgeons use those systems which we feel are the safest and most efficient for patients.
If you do notice any side effects after this procedure you must inform your doctor straight away.
