Vertebral Augmentation: State of the Art

Abstract

Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVF) are an increasing public health problem. Cement augmentation (vertebroplasty of kyphoplasty) helps stabilize painful OVF refractory to medical treatment. This stabilization is thought to improve pain and functional outcome. Vertebroplasty consists of injecting cement into a fractured vertebra using a percutaneous transpedicular approach. Balloon kyphoplasty uses an inflatable balloon prior to injecting the cement. Although kyphoplasty is associated with significant improvement of local kyphosis and less cement leakage, this does not result in long-term clinical and functional improvement. Moreover, vertebroplasty is favored by some due to the high cost of kyphoplasty. The injection of cement increases the stiffness of the fracture vertebrae. This can lead, in theory, to adjacent OVF. However, many studies found no increase of subsequent fracture when comparing medical treatment to cement augmentation. Kyphoplasty can have a protective effect due to restoration of sagittal balance.

Keywords: Kyphoplasty; Osteoporotic fracture; Spine; Vertebroplasty.

Fig. 1. A case of a 72-year-old woman who sustained a compressive vertebral fracture one month previously after a simple fall and was treated with a brace. Pain persisted and an X-ray revealed complete loss of vertebral height (A). Kyphoplasty was performed and X-ray shows restitution of vertebral height (B).