This minimally-invasive procedure repairs a vertebral compression fracture and helps restore the spine’s natural shape. Some patients experience rapid pain relief after the procedure.
Before the procedure, you are sedated. The physician guides a needle through the skin of your back and into your fractured vertebra. A special x-ray device called a fluoroscope helps the physician position the needle.
A balloon device is placed through the needle and into the vertebral body. The physician carefully inflates this balloon to expand the fractured bone. When the balloon is deflated, it leaves a cavity in the middle of the vertebral body. The balloon is then removed. The physician then injects bone cement through the needle, which fills the cavity. The cement hardens inside the vertebral body, stabilizing the fracture. When the procedure is complete, the needle is removed. The opening in your skin is closed.
