Kyphoplasty is a surgical procedure that expands and stabilizes compression fractures of the spine. It is a type of vertebral augmentation surgery.
During kyphoplasty, a balloon device is introduced into the spine and inflated to expand the bone. The cavity created by the balloon is then filled with a bone cement mixture. With this process completed, an internal cast is formed inside the vertebral body with the goals of reducing pain, stabilizing a damaged area and/or restoring lost height in the vertebral body.
Pain relief from this procedure is often immediate as the dried cement stabilizes the fracture eliminating motion at the fracture site, and subsequently the pain generated by the motion.
