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What is it?
Percutaneous vertebroplasty is a mouthful of a term that refers to injecting medical-quality glue around broken vertebrae. In essence, this glue-like substance fills in cracks in bone or repairs other deficits that make bones ache. This technique provides back stability for people who have compression fractures.
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Many problems?
Often, more than one crushed vertebrae can be treated in a single procedure. Surgery is not required because the doctor is able to guide the needle to the right spot using special X-ray equipment. Vertebroplasty takes from one to two hours to perform depending on how many bones are treated. The procedure may be performed with a local anesthetic that numbs the area to be treated, or the patient may be given general anesthesia.
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Who is a candidate for vertebroplasty?
People who have suffered recent compressing fractures that are causing them moderate to severe back pain are the best candidates for vertebroplasty. In some cases, older fractures may be treated, but the procedure is most successful if it is performed soon after the fracture occurs. The procedure is not used to treat chronic back pain or herniated disks.
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How successful is vertebroplasty?
Studies have shown that from 75 percent to 90 percent of people treated with vertebroplasty will have complete or significant reduction of their pain.
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Vertebroplasty may also be used preventively in the future to treat fragile, osteoporotic vertebrae in high-risk patients before they fracture.
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Some studies suggest that early treatment of spinal fractures with vertebroplasty can strengthen the spine and improve the posture, which may help prevent further fractures that lead to height loss or kyphosis. Currently, however, there is no evidence to prove that the procedure will prevent these problems.
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