Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive treatment for painful spinal fractures. It is a subset of vertebral augmentation, which includes procedures on the bones in the spine to help reduce the pain associated with vertebral fractures. During kyphoplasty, the provider will access the fractured vertebrae using a rod-like device and fill individual vertebra with a cement-like mixture that starts out soft, hardens in the span of minutes and can be seen under x-ray. When performing kyphoplasty, the provider creates a cavity within the bone, sometimes with a balloon that is inflated under high pressure, then deflated and removed. The cavity is then filled with the cement mixture. In addition to providing pain relief and strengthening the fractured vertebra, kyphoplasty can, in some cases, restore the height of the vertebra.
