Kyphoplasty Procedure For A Vertebral Fracture

Description

Sagittal and oblique views typically track a single vertebral body within the thoracolumbar column, framed by the adjacent intervertebral discs and posterior elements (pedicles, laminae, and spinous process) to orient the working corridor. Under a transpedicular approach, a cannula advances from posterior to anterior into the cancellous bone, then a balloon tamp is introduced and progressively inflated to restore vertebral body height and reduce endplate concavity. Deflation and removal of the balloon leaves a controlled cavity, followed by pressurized delivery of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement that interdigitates with trabeculae and stabilizes the fracture. Kyphoplasty most often addresses painful osteoporotic compression fractures, where vertebral collapse drives focal kyphosis and persistent mechanical pain despite bracing and analgesia. The sequence matters: balloon inflation can partially correct deformity while creating a lower-pressure cement bed than vertebroplasty, a distinction tied to cement extravasation risk into the basivertebral venous channels, epidural space, or paravertebral soft tissues. Cement viscosity and fill pattern are not academic details. They correlate with complications such as neural compression or pulmonary cement embolism when leakage reaches segmental veins. Use this animation to teach stepwise instrument progression, balloon tamp inflation, and PMMA injection timing in spine surgery modules, interventional radiology training, or patient-facing perioperative education for vertebral augmentation. It also suits figure-replacement video content for chapters on osteoporotic fracture management, comparing kyphoplasty with vertebroplasty and highlighting transpedicular versus extrapedicular access at different spinal levels. Anatomical accuracy verified by SciePro's Medical Advisory Board.