Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty

In vertebroplasty, the collapsed bone is directly entered with a needle under local anesthesia and liquid "bone cement (PMMA)" is injected; the bone is frozen and fixed in its collapsed form. In kyphoplasty, a special balloon is inserted into the bone and inflated before the cement is injected; the balloon lifts the collapsed bone back up to its former height, and cement is filled into this created healthy space. Kyphoplasty corrects the anatomy better.

The biggest miracle of the procedure is the speed it provides to the patient. The injected bone cement dries and hardens like concrete in about 15 minutes at body temperature. Because the fractured pieces rubbing against each other stop instantly, the patient gets rid of that breathtaking back pain they have been suffering from for months the moment they get up from the table.

Unlike treatments requiring months of immobility such as steel vests or plaster corsets; a patient who has undergone kyphoplasty is usually discharged from the hospital on the same day, allowed to walk the next day, and there is no need to wear a heavy corset except for very light supports.