About Kyphoplasty
Kyphoplasty 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. These measures were often unsuccessful. Kyphoplasty is a newer procedure that has proven safe and effective. It provides approximately 85-90% of patients with rapid pain relief.
With kyphoplasty, an interventional radiologist stabilizes a collapsed vertebra with injections of medical-grade bone cement into the spine.
The cementengthened vertebra reduces pain and helps prevent future fractures in the surrounding vertebrae. It can also help straighten the “hunchback” sometimes caused by compression fractures.
During this procedure, a hole is drilled into the compressed vertebra and a balloon is inserted through the hole. The balloon is then inflated to re-expand the vertebra and give it more height. The balloon is removed and the cavity it created is promptly injected with bone cement. As the cement quickly hardens, it emits heat which deadens the inflamed nerves. Each affected vertebra may require more than one injection to distribute the cement evenly.
Procedure Locations
Consultations for kyphoplasty are done at RIA Endovascular.
The procedure is performed at the following Radiology Imaging Associates partner hospitals in the Denver, Colorado area:
- Littleton Adventist Hospital
- The Medical Center of Aurora
- Porter Adventist Hospital
- Presbyterian/St. Luke’s Medical Center
- Sky Ridge Medical Center
- Swedish Medical Center