Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty
Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty are both minimally invasive procedures used to treat osteoporotic or pathologic compression fractures of the spine. Osteoporotic or pathologic fractures of the spine can often lead to debilitating pain. If the pain does not resolve with conservative treatments, vertebroplasty or kyphoplasty can be used to ameliorate the pain and allow earlier return to function. During the procedure, the interventional radiologists places one or two small needles into the fractured vertebral body under x-ray guidance. For kyphoplasty, a small balloon is then placed through the needles and is inflated to restore height of the fractured vertebral body. A special bone cement is then injected, creating a stabilizing cast within the bone. In all, the entire procedure usually takes around 30 minutes to complete and the pain of the fracture is alleviated shortly afterward. Numerous clinical studies have shown that vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty significantly improve pain, quality of life, lead to quicker recovery and better clinical results compared to non-treated patients, and decreases opioid intake by nearly 60%. To date, Advanced Radiology has performed the most vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures in Nebraska.
SpineJack
Similar to kyphoplasty, SpineJack® is a new minimally invasive procedure used to treat osteoporotic vertebral body compression fractures. The procedure utilizes an intra-vertebral body titanium implant that resembles a car-jack. With x-ray guidance, two small needles are inserted in the fractured vertebral body. The SpineJack® implants are deployed into the fractured vertebral body and then expanded to restore its normal height. They are locked into the desired position and then bone cement is injected to stabilize the fracture. The implant becomes encapsulated with bone cement resulting in pain relief for the patient. Advanced Radiology were amongst the first ten physicians in the country as well as the first group in Nebraska to use the SpineJack Device.
Sacroplasty
A sacroplasty is a another minimally invasive procedure that can relieve lower back and pelvic pain associated with fractures of the sacrum. Using local anesthetic and I.V. conscious sedation, real-time CT or X-ray imaging is used to help guide the needles into the sacrum. Bone cement is then injected into the fracture sites through the needles, stabilizing the bone and decreasing the pain.