Balloon kyphoplasty

The method of vertebral expanding was developed for the effective treatment of pathological fractures and reconstruction of anatomical relationship in pathological fractures and osteoporosis. In such procedure, a balloon is inserted into the vertebral body through the percutaneous needle and then inflated with fluid under pressure. It expands vertebral body – vertebra regains its height. It also eliminates the pathologic kyphosis at the injury site, and adjacent vertebrae regain correct position in relation to each other..   

After vertebral expansion, the balloon is removed and resulting cavity filled with bone cement. Technological disadvantages of this method are partial vertebra unfolding, loss of reduction (vertebral "collapse" after balloon removal and before cement injection). It explains why this approach is not significantly superior to the standard vertebroplasty, and the clinical and radiological results of these procedures are very similar. These disadvantages have been taken into account in the development of vertebral stenting.