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What It Is
A procedure that splints or fixes the vertebral body after it has suffered a compression fracture. 200,000 people with osteoporosis suffer compression fractures each year, with accompanying back pain and some loss of mobility.
How It's Performed
A physician passes a metal needle into your collapsed vertebral body and injects a cement mixture containing polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), barium powder, and a solvent. Sometimes an antibiotic is added to the mixture. This cement mixture produces an image that the physician monitors on an x-ray machine. Once injected, the cement hardens rapidly, splinting and stabilizing the weakened bone.
The procedure usually takes approximately 30-60 minutes for each level. More than one level can be performed during a single session.
Most people go home within several hours of the procedure. Relief is usually felt 24 hours after the procedure.