Vertebroplasty

Vertebroplasty is a minimally invasive non-surgical procedure. It is used to treat the vertebral compression and the related disorder.

It was first introduced in France during 1986 and the technique was perfected in the United States during the early nineteen nineties. The procedure of vertebroplasty is to cement the fractures with surgical grade cement. The most commonly used cement is the PMMA or the polymethylmethacrylate. The PMMA is injected into the bone columns and this cement solidifies rapidly. This is a procedure which has fewer complications and is easy to perform. The vertebral compression has been observed in more than seven hundred thousand people in the United States each year. The vertebral compression is a result of the state called the osteoporesis. The calcium in the bones is rapidly removed during this condition which results in the degradation of the bone strength.

The procedure of vertebroplasty is to insert two needles through the skin of the patient towards the left and right side of the vertebral compression. Then the PMMA or polymethylmethacrylate is injected into the fractures. The cement powder is mixed with some antibiotics to avoid any infection. The whole process is done under the surveillance of the X-ray camera. The powder and is also mixed with barium and other elements so that the cement can be monitored using the camera. The optically active elements enable the monitoring. This treatment is done before the fracture has occurred. The vertebral compression is a sign that the fracture may occur in the near future. This treatment is administered so that the column is strengthened and any future problems are thus tapped.

The possible risk factors include those related to the lekage of the cement, the infection and the bleeding. Sometimes a small amount of cement can leak and this is not usually harmful, if the cement gets into contact with the spinal cord then it is a dangerous scenario. The infection problems are minimal because ample amount of antibiotics and drugs are used during the procedure. The chances of bleeding is another cause for concern but is normally rare during and after vertebroplasty. Some patients may experience persistent pain after the vertebroplasty. The condition may vary with different patients and the chances of pain are rare, sometimes the pain may be perisistent and may proceed to form some sort of numbness or stiffness of the muscle.

The advantages of the procedure are that it alleviates the pain and is useful to strengthen the muscles and the bones of the vertebral area. The osteoporesis patients may experience vertebral compression and this may be proceeding to a fracture the administration of vertebroplasty to such patients is a routine procedure. It is estimated that there are more than seven lakh osteoporesis patients in the United States each year. The women who are in their menopause and post menopausal ages have the maximum chance to get the disorder. The pain and the structural deformity problems related to the osteoporesis are somewhat manageable using this procedure and is a boon to the mankind.

The recovery of the patients who have undergone vertebroplasty is in a stepwise manner and has to be done with utmost care. The patients may be advised to do exercises and other rehabilitation procedures. Patients who have prolonged pain are advised to undertake physiotherapy.