Balloon Kyphoplasty
This article discusses the rates and factors associated with adjacent level refracture following balloon kyphoplasty, a procedure used to treat osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures. The study reviewed the medical records of 89 patients who underwent the procedure and found a prevalence of 13.5% for adjacent level refracture. Patients with unsatisfactory resolution of symptoms following the initial kyphoplasty had a higher refracture rate compared to those with satisfactory resolution. Additionally, all refractures occurred in patients with complex, multiple-level initial fracture patterns. The article suggests that further research is needed to better predict refracture and improve patient outcomes
Summarised by Mr Mo Akmal – Lead Spinal Surgeon
The London Spine Unit : innovative spine centre in UK
Published article
Background Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) represent a substantial concern, as they are associated with significant increases in morbidity and mortality. One option for the management of these patients is balloon kyphoplasty, in which a balloon is inflated within the collapsed vertebral body. Following this, the cavity is filled with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement to restore height and strength. Although this procedure has been shown to have great effectiveness, one…
Balloon Kyphoplasty Surgery Expert. Best Spinal Surgeon UK
Abstract Background Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) represent a substantial concern, as they are associated with significant increases in morbidity and mortality. One option for the management of these patients is balloon kyphoplasty, in which a balloon is inflated within the collapsed vertebral body. Following this, the cavity is filled with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement,
Abstract
Background Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (OVCF) represent a substantial concern, as they are associated with significant increases in morbidity and mortality. One option for the management of these patients is balloon kyphoplasty, in which a balloon is inflated within the collapsed vertebral body. Following this, the cavity is filled with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) cement to restore height and strength. Although this procedure has been shown to have great effectiveness, one complication that has been documented is an adjacent level refracture. This is thought to be due to the increased relative strength of the repaired vertebral body. Our study aims to quantify the rates of adjacent level refracture following balloon kyphoplasty as well as identify factors that may be associated with this event. Methods We reviewed the electronic medical records (EMR) of patients that underwent balloon kyphoplasty between January 1, 2017 and August 1, 2020. A single surgeon performed all procedures. Only adult patients who received a diagnosis of osteoporosis based on a history of fragility fracture or bone mineral density measurement were included. Patients with additional or confounding bone conditions, such as malignancy or other lytic lesions, were excluded. Data were analyzed in SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, United States). Results We included 89 patients in our study. We observed an adjacent level refracture prevalence of 13.5% (n=12). We observed a significant increase in refracture rates among patients with unsatisfactory resolution of symptoms following initial balloon kyphoplasty, from 8.2% for satisfactory resolution of symptoms to 43.8% for those with unsatisfactory resolution. (p-value 0.011). Additionally, all 12 patients with adjacent level refractures occurred among patients with complex, multiple-level initial fracture patterns. Conclusions The treatment of OVCF with balloon kyphoplasty is a well-documented and effective method. The prevalence of adjacent-level refracture may be linked to several variables such as the initial fracture pattern. More research is needed to better predict refracture and improve patient outcomes.
Keywords: adjacent fracture; compression fracture; kyphoplasty; kyphoplasty pain; osteoporosis; refracture; spine; vertebral augmentation; vertebroplasty.
The London Spine Unit : innovative spine centre in UK
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Adjacent Fracture Rates Following Balloon Kyphoplasty in Osteoporotic Vertebral Compression Fractures: A Case Series