Kyphoplasty, Vertebroplasty

Fractures of spinal column elements are especially frequent in women suffering from osteoporosis. In the area of the neck, chest and loin spinal column, very painful fractures in the vertebral elements occur due to reduced bone thickness. This causes an instability of the spinal column, deformation of the spinal column and a reduction in the size of the bodies (reduction in height). But vertebral fractures can also occur in patients with a spinal trauma or an osteolythic tumor. In order to stabilize the relevant areas and to fill up the hollow spaces, we use the process of kyphoplasty, a further development of vertebroplasty.

Process of Treatment:

In the classic vertebroplasty, hollow spaces are filled with bone cement at high pressures during a minimally invasive intervention. The bone is thus fixed and the pain is reduced (up to 70%). No open-back operation is necessary. The process is different with kyphoplasty: Under local anesthesia we then insert a balloon which lifts the sunken areas again. After the removal, special bone cement fills the resulting hollow space up. Thus the risk of the cement coming out becomes significantly smaller in comparison with vertebroplasty. Additionally, a reduction in height conditioned by the illness can be compensated for in an ideal case.

Duration of treatment: 1 hour

Permanence in clinic: 7 days

Work incapacity: 4 to 6 weeks

Ability to drive: after 4 weeks

Sports: Swimming, immediately; bicycle riding after 6 weeks; gold and tennis after 10 weeks