Vertebroplasty is a special interventional treatment method used for the fracture of the body part in the anterior part of the spine, damage due to cancer or for the treatment of some congenital vascular diseases.
During the vertebroplasty procedure, a special chemical substance (bone cement) is injected into the damaged spinal bone, under local anesthesia and with radiological control, and the bone is strengthened.
In which cases is vertebroplasty performed?
Vertebroplasty is most commonly used for spinal fractures due to osteoporosis. Osteoporosis, popularly known as osteoporosis, reduces bone density, reduces the hardness of the bones and causes them to become more weak and brittle. In elderly patients, simple falls, impacts, and heavy lifting may cause fractures of the spine bones, which we call compression fractures. In the same way, vertebroplasty methods are used in diseases called cancer metastases, hemangioma and myeloma that cause bone loss.
How is vertebroplasty done?
Both procedures are not procedures that require general anesthesia, they can be performed with the help of local anesthesia and intravenous sedatives. In the prone position, the level of the patient's fracture is cleaned to be sterile, and the broken bone is visualized with a special imaging system called fluoroscopy. Radiologic control is performed continuously during the procedure.
The skin does not need to be cut, just a skin incision a few millimeters long enough for the special needle to pass through. Under continuous radiological control, the needle is extended to the fracture site of the bone and then bone cement is injected through the needle. Depending on the type of application to be processed, it takes between 15 minutes and 30 minutes. Within a few minutes, the injected bone cement begins to harden inside the bone and completely sets within an hour.
When does the pain go away?
Pain disappears immediately after vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty. After the procedure, most patients do not even need to use pain relievers.
What are the advantages?
These treatment methods have extremely important advantages, especially in elderly patients, as they save the patient from problems such as bed rest for weeks or months, the difficulty of applications such as corsets and other health problems, and the difficulty in controlling long-term pain. Almost all of the patients treated with vertebroplasty methods state that 90% of the pain is cut like a knife.