Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive spine surgical procedure performed for the treatment of certain spinal injuries and diseases. It is an intervention that is indicated in pathologies or ailments such as fractures, osteoporotic vertebral crushing, or among others, crushing and tumor fractures.
This surgical procedure is indicated in cases of severe pain derived from fractures, even with little deformity, or derived from injuries that weaken the structure of the vertebra. It consists of the percutaneous introduction (without the need to open the spine), under fluoroscopic control, of a balloon which, when inflated by the injection of serum, restores the height of the affected vertebrae, subsequently filling it with acrylic cement in order to maintain the correction achieved by creating an internal support.
Kyphoplasty can be performed on one or more vertebrae in the same procedure and usually requires only 12 to 24 hours of hospitalization, making it a relatively comfortable procedure for the patient.
In general, in addition to improving the biomechanics of the spine, it restores or improves vertebral height and reduces or eliminates pain early and, in many cases, immediately.
The procedure
Being a minimally invasive procedure, it reduces the complications of open surgery, significantly shortening the recovery period, being able to start getting up and walking a few hours after the intervention. In addition, this is usually done without the need for a corset or any other type of support.
At present, it is a technique of very frequent use and of choice in vertebral fracture-plasty in patients over 65 years of age, with a very high success rate and very few complications. Nowadays, the introduction of biological cements has made it possible to use this technique also in young patients.