Overview
Don’t let spinal fractures keep you from the activities you enjoy.1 Our Kyphon® Balloon Kyphoplasty is a, minimally invasive procedure that can repair spinal fractures due to osteoporosis, cancer or benign lesion. Clinical studies have shown long-term improvements – in mobility, restored vertebral body height, and reduced back pain.2
What Is It?
Kyphon Balloon Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive procedure that can repair spinal fractures due to osteoporosis, cancer or benign lesion. It takes about an hour (per level) to treat a fracture with balloon kyphoplasty, and the procedure can be done on an outpatient or an inpatient basis, depending on the needs of the patient.
Benefits and Risks
Kyphon Balloon Kyphoplasty has been shown to reduce or eliminate back pain from a spinal fracture, as well as restore vertebral body height.2 Although the complication rate for BKP is low, as with most surgical procedures, serious adverse events, some of which can be fatal, can occur, including heart attack, cardiac arrest (heart stops beating), stroke, and embolism (blood, fat, or cement that migrates to the lungs or heart). Other risks include infection; leakage of bone cement into the muscle and tissue surrounding the spinal cord and nerve injury that can, in rare instances, cause paralysis; leakage of bone cement into the blood vessels resulting in damage to the blood vessels, lungs, and/or heart.
It is important to talk to your doctor about both benefits and risks of this procedure. A prescription is required. Results may vary.
Questions and Answers
To help you better understand spinal fractures and why balloon kyphoplasty may be a treatment option, take a moment to read some commonly asked questions and answers.
1
Gold DT, Silverman SL. The downward spiral of vertebral osteoporosis: consequences (Monograph). Cedars-Sinai Medical Center 2003.
2
Garfin, S.R., R.A. Buckley, and J. Ledlie, Balloon kyphoplasty for symptomatic vertebral body compression fractures results in rapid, significant, and sustained improvements in back pain, function, and quality of life for elderly patients. Spine, 2006. 31(19): p. 2213-20.
Information on this site should not be used as a substitute for talking with your doctor. Always talk with your doctor about diagnosis and treatment information.
