Minimal Invasive Surgery - Kyphoplasty

Kyphoplasty is the most advanced method for treating osteoporotic fractures of the spine. The word kyphoplasty is a compound word which means  plasty(repair) of kyphosis(hunchback).The purpose of the surgery is the restoration and strengthening of the vertebral body which is weakened and deformed because of fracture while simultaneously providing substantial pain relief. The method entails the correction of the shape of the vertebral body with the help of a special balloon and the injection of bone stabilization material (PMMA)into the vertebral body.

The method we apply is minimally invasive which uses modern technology for the therapy of Spine Compression Fractures(SCF) due to its ability to control the shape and volume of the void and to prevent the leakage of material used as a filler.

This is a method of reduction, and strengthening the "fractured" and "compressed" osteoporotic vertebral body through very small incisions in the skin. In this manner the incision does not exceed one centimeter, which as result does not cause muscle damage, the patient recovers immediately and is able to leave the hospital even on the same day in most cases.

The technique uses a non-stretch material PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate, a biocompatible material for artificial vessels and ligaments) which is filled with bone substitute mixed with PMMA to restore vertebral body height. This provides immediate stabilization of the spine, and pain relief. This cage(balloon) and the injector system control the volume and the shape of the material being injected without creating a void in the compressed vertebrae and they also allow contact due to the penetration of filling material through the pores of the PET cage( balloon) during the procedure. As the pore size and the number of layers of  the PET  cage (balloon) are  predetermined, the flow of the filling material through the pores is controlled.

The cage(balloon) used in this procedure acts as a dilator of the vertebral body, but also as a receptacle for filler  injected,  as it is inserted into the  fractured vertebra in "deflated" form. When placed inside , it is filled taking its final form, elevating the vertebral endplates with the filler.

In addition to osteoporotic fractures, the method has been applied with great success both on primary malignant tumors (multiple myeloma, plasmacytoma) or osteolytic metastatic tumors, as well as  benign tumors of the spine.