Vertebroplasty for Collapsing Spines

Orthopedic surgeons can restore height and stability to the spines of older patients by injecting them with bone substitute material to raise recently collapsed vertebrae, said Joseph D. Zuckerman, M.D., in a presentation at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons in New York (USA). The minimally invasive procedure is called vertebroplasty.

Vertebroplasty is a treatment for osteoporosis-caused compression fractures. In the procedure, a small incision is made in the skin and a needle inserted into the collapsed vertebrae. The surgeon injects a liquid biodegradable bone substitute into the broken bone. The material then hardens, protecting the site from further collapse. Other procedures to treat fragility fractures include advanced fracture fixation techniques and hip, knee, and shoulder replacement.

"Bone substitute may help some hip fracture patients,” noted Dr. Zuckerman, chairman, department of orthopedic surgery, New York University Hospital for Joint Diseases (NY, USA). "When they undergo hip fracture surgery, injecting bone substitute at the implant site potentially could strengthen the surrounding bone and fixation. Also on the research horizon is the theory that injecting bone substitute into a hip fracture patient's other hip will prevent a future fracture.”