Vertebroplasty

This is a minimally invasive procedure to that offers relief to patients suffering prolonged and debilitating pain from compression fractures in the spinal vertebrae.

It involves injecting bone cement into the vertebrae to stabilize fractures, and results in significant pain relief and restoration of mobility in many patients.

Who Can Benefit?

• Those with debilitating pain that can be traced to a compression fracture.
  A compression fracture, which is often associated with osteoporosis, occurs when pressure on a vertebra (a bone in the spine) causes it to break or crack.

Investigations

• X-rays of the spine
• MRI of the spine

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Procedure

• A typical vertebroplasty procedure usually takes about 1 hour to complete.
  The patient is treated with local anaesthesia and light sedation, usually in an x-ray suite or operating room.
• A biopsy needle is guided into the fractured vertebra under x-ray guidance through a small puncture in the patient’s skin.
• Specially formulated bone cement is injected under pressure directly into the fractured vertebra, filling the spaces within the bone.
• The needle is removed and the cement hardens quickly (about 10 minutes), congealing the fragments of the fractured vertebra and stabilizing the bone.
  

Post-Vertebroplasty X-rays

• Conservative e.g. pain killers, physiotherapy
• Minimally invasive treatment e.g. nucleoplasty
• Surgery e.g. discectomy

Expected Results

• Many patients undergoing percutaneous vertebroplasty experience 90 percent or better reduction in pain within 24-48 hours and increased ability to perform daily activities shortly thereafter.

Complications

• Complications are rare (less than 3%) with vertebroplasty but include infection, bleeding, numbness/tingling, increased back pain, and paralysis.
• Other risks include cement extrusion into the vertebral canal leading to spinal cord or nerve root compression, venous embolism (a blood clot that forms within a vein), pulmonary embolism (one or more blood clots blocking an artery in the lungs), and risks of anaesthesia.

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