Vertebroplasty

Vertebroplasty is a non-surgical procedure performed by the doctors of Professional Radiology Inc.  This procedure is non-surgical, and its goal is to stabilize broken bones that are in the spine that were caused by a condition called osteoporosis. 

This procedure is performed while the patient is awake but sedated.  The patient will be lying face down in order for the physician to have access to the back.  This procedure involves a needle being inserted into the skin and into the crushed vertebrae.  Then surgical bone cement is utilized by injecting it into the vertebrae to stabilize it.  This means that surgery is not required since the interventional radiologist is able to guide the needle to the correct location using special X-ray equipment.  This procedure can be expected to take around one to two hours to perform, and this will depend on how many bones will need to be repaired.  Typically this procedure is performed using a local anesthetic that will numb the treated area.  After the procedure, the patient will lie flat on his or her back for two hours until the cement hardens. 

This is considered a relatively new procedure in the United States, but despite this, it has been performed for over ten years at several centers in France with positive results.  This needle injection technique has been used successfully in the United States to treat other conditions of the spine.  The bone cement used by the radiologists has also been used for many years in bone replacement surgeries as well as other orthopedic procedures.  This is a safe procedure and has few risks or complications if any at all.

Candidates for this procedure are people who have suffered compressing fractures recently, and those fractures are causing them moderate or severe back pain.  Older fractures may be able to be treated, but the procedure is usually most successful if it is performed shortly after the fracture occurs. 

Typically patients experience pain relief immediately after the surgery, and most of these patients state that their pain is better or gone within 48 hours of the procedure.  Patients also are able to return home within two hours of the procedure, and they are additionally able to return to normal daily activities right away. 

Therefore, there are a number of advantages to vertebroplasty.  One is that it results in decreased pain since a compressed fracture will cause the patient sharp pain.  Often patients with this condition are prescribed pain medication and bed rest.  In many cases this procedure will reduce or eliminate altogether the need for pain medication, and it will restore mobility in many cases.  Since the patients are often unable to move around much, this procedure will enable the patient to become more mobile and functional so that a normal return to activity can be resumed.  One more advantage is that the cement will fill the spaces in bones that have become porous due to osteoporosis, so this actually strengthens the bone.  This will likely result in less opportunity for bone fractures in the future.