Bone loss from osteoporosis can lead to a painful vertebral compression fracture (VCF). More than 750,000 older adults are diagnosed with a VCF each year. Often a patient notices acute back pain and in 90 percent of the cases, conservative therapy of medications and bed rest is successful. In some cases, patients do not heal properly and are left with chronic pain. Those patients can benefit from two minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional radiologist.

Kyphoplasty is a technique that allows for the restoration of vertebral height. Using fluoroscopy guidance, a balloon is inserted into the affected vertebral site and is inflated to the height of the fractured bone. The balloon is removed and replaced with bone cement, which in injected into the site. This procedure stabilizes the vertebrae and usually brings immediately pain relief to the patient.

Vertebroplasty is similar to kyphoplasty as cement is injected directly into the vertebral space, but does not use a balloon to restore the height of the bone.

Bone loss from osteoporosis can lead to a painful vertebral compression fracture (VCF). More than 750,000 older adults are diagnosed with a VCF each year. Often a patient notices acute back pain and in 90 percent of the cases, conservative therapy of medications and bed rest is successful. In some cases, patients do not heal properly and are left with chronic pain. Those patients can benefit from two minimally invasive procedure performed by an interventional radiologist.

Kyphoplasty is a technique that allows for the restoration of vertebral height. Using fluoroscopy guidance, a balloon is inserted into the affected vertebral site and is inflated to the height of the fractured bone. The balloon is removed and replaced with bone cement, which in injected into the site. This procedure stabilizes the vertebrae and usually brings immediately pain relief to the patient.

Vertebroplasty is similar to kyphoplasty as cement is injected directly into the vertebral space, but does not use a balloon to restore the height of the bone.