This is a minimally invasive type of restorative procedure and is performed for patients who have had a vertebral compression fracture from a tumour or osteoporosis.

If you have been diagnosed with a spinal fracture caused by osteoporosis, a balloon kyphoplasty can significantly reduce any back pain and repair the broken bone.

Orthopaedic balloons are used to lift the fractured bone and return it to the correct position.  Before the operation, you will have an X-ray to determine the precise location of the fracture.  Balloon kyphoplasty can be done under local or general anaesthesia.  

At surgery, a small incision is made in your back to create a small pathway into the fractured bone.  A small, special balloon is placed through the pathway into the fractured vertebra. The balloon is carefully inflated to restore the height of the collapsed vertebral body.  The balloon is then removed, leaving a cavity within the vertebra.  This cavity is then filled with bone cement to support the bone, stabilise the fracture and keep the vertebra intact.