Kyphoplasty for the treatment of very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: A retrospective evaluation of the clinical outcome and technical feasibility of kyphoplasty for the treatment of very severe osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (vsOVCF). METHODS: Patients with vsOVCF were treated with kyphoplasty and followed-up for 1 year. Vertebral body height variation, kyphotic angle, back pain (visual analogue scale [VAS]) and Oswestry disability index (ODI) were evaluated preoperatively, postoperatively, 1 month, 3 months and 1 year after treatment. RESULTS: In total, 35 patients (49 vertebrae) were treated with kyphoplasty. There were no cases of spinal or extraspinal injury, infection, bleeding, pulmonary embolism, epidural cement leakage, stroke or cardiac arrest as a result of treatment. There were significant postoperative improvements in all outcome measures (vertebral body height variation, kyphotic angle, VAS and ODI); these improvements were maintained during the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: Kyphoplasty is an effective and minimally invasive procedure for the treatment of vsOVCF. © SAGE Publications Ltd 2012.