Balloon Kyphoplasty : Surgical Results, Efficacy and Limitations

Abstract

  Osteoporotic vertebral fracture (OVF) is a common condition in the elderly population. Vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty were introduced in the 1990s and since then, became standard procedures for the treatment of OVF. Balloon kyphoplasty (BKP) is a technique that involves percutaneous advancement of a trocar in the fractured vertebral body (VB), followed by the insertion of a special balloon, which is subsequently inflated for restoring the height of the VB. The space created by the balloon is filled with polymethylmethacrylate to restore stability. BKP has been used for 5 years in Japan, and its outcome has been described in several reports. In this paper, we review previous studies and reports on the surgical results, efficacy, and limitations of BKP.