Vertebral Fracture and Kyphoplasty
What is a Vertebral Fracture?
A vertebral compression fracture is an injury to one of the “back bones” making up the spine resulting in breakage and collapse of the bone structure.
They can be a result of osteoporosis, trauma or an abnormality within the actual bone due to malignant and benign conditions.
What are the symptoms?
Many times, vertebral fractures are present without symptoms, these typically happen slowly over time due to osteoporosis. However, a more sudden fracture can result in significant pain with varying symptoms, including pain in the middle of your back, pain radiating to the sides and muscle spasm. This can result in difficulty walking, bearing weight or standing. Overtime the spine can bow due to multiple fractures in a condition called kyphosis, resulting in a hunch. Your interventional radiologist will perform a thorough clinical and physical assessment, as well as evaluate your imaging to determine the etiology of your symptoms.
How many occur each year?
Around 700,000 vertebral fractures occur each year and 115,000 hospitializations as a result.
There is a 10-25% lifetime risk of having a vertebral fracture.
Can these fractures be treated?
Treatment for vertebral fractures depends on how recent the fracture is, the duration of discomfort, the type of fracture and the degree of disability.
Options for short-term treatment include pain control, physical therapy with a long-term emphasis on treating the underlying cause such as osteoporosis.
In cases of pain that is not well controlled despite medication or severe debilitation or in patients who cannot receive or tolerate pain medications, vertebral augmentation is indicated. Vertebral augmentation includes treatments like Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty.
Your interventional radiologist in conjunction with your primary care doctor will assist in guiding you through the appropriate route of management.
What is Kyphoplasty?
Kyphoplasty is a minimally invasive surgical technique that uses the placement of two small balloons in the fractured vertebral body in order to elevate the collapsed portion, and then subsequently fills it with cement to support it and treat the pain that is originating from the fractured portion.
How is kyphoplasty performed?
Kyphoplasty is overall a low risk procedure. Under the guidance of fluoroscopy (live video x-ray) after administration of anesthesia or light sedation, your interventional radiologist will administer local numbing medication over the vertebral body to be treated. Two small needles are then inserted, one on either side, and once placed in the vertebral body, two balloons are placed through the needles to be inflated inside the fractured portion to create space and decrease the compression. Cement is then injected and allowed to harden. The needles are then removed. Our interventional radiologists will thoroughly discuss the procedure and answer questions during your clinic visit.
What can I expect after?
Minimal discomfort at the points of needle entry may be present for a few hours. Some bruising can also occur in this region. Overall, if the pain is entirely related to the fracture, it will slowly begin to improve, in the best cases, within hours of the procedure, but more typically over the course of the week.
Occasionally, residual pain may remain from nerve irritation or other back problems such as disc or muscle issues, secondary to the initial fracture.
The success rate of Kyphoplasty (or Vertebroplasty) is typically quite high.
Kyphoplasty / Vertebroplasty Benefits
Can I have Kyphoplasty if I have a bone tumor?
Kyphoplasty is used in the setting of painful tumor involvement of the vertebral bodies. The only difference in this process is the addition of tumor ablation.
Tumor ablation is a minimally invasive option for patients with painful metastatic spinal tumors. A small instrument enters the vertebrae through a small incision. Heat is used to destroy the cancer cells. The device is removed once the tumor has been ablated.
Once the tumor is treated, a balloon is then utilized to create space and fill the vertebral body with cement to strengthen it. The combination of these two treatments is typically highly successful in improving pain and disability from cancer involving bone with a major benefit being improved mobility and reduction in pain medication usage.
Why Choose Fairfax Vascular Center?
Over 100 years of combined clinical experience.
Fairfax Vascular Center is one of the largest, long-established interventional radiology practices with more than 100 years of combined clinical experience.
Specialize in Kyphoplasty and Vertebroplasty.
Our highly trained interventional radiologists are early adopters in spine intervention and among some of the most experienced in kyphoplasty and vertebroplasty, both in the setting of benign and malignant fractures. Interventional radiologists as well as our subspecialized spine radiologists are the leading experts in imaging interpretation as well image-guided diagnosis and treatment.
Dedicated to helping you through your treatment journey.
Our physicians are available 24/7 to ensure you are well taken care of from the time of consultation through your treatment and follow up.
State of the art imaging with subspecialty trained physicians.
Fairfax Vascular Center is part of Fairfax Radiology Centers, the largest and oldest diagnostic radiology group in the metro DC and surrounding region, allowing us to provide our patients with leading edge-imaging technologies and the most experienced diagnostic and interventional radiologists with subspeciality training.
Team approach to care.
We firmly believe that multidisciplinary care is in the best interest of our patients and closely partner with our referring physicians to make sure that your care is in the best hands and you gain the best possible outcome.
Common Questions
Our Physicians
Paul Reha Butros, M.D.
Baskent University School of Medicine
Completed 2005
Detroit Medical Center - Wayne State University
Completed 2012
Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Completed 2014
Miami Cardiac and Vascular Institute
Completed 2015
American Board of Radiology - Diplomate
2012
American College of Radiology
American Medical Association
American Roentgen Ray Society
Medical Society of Virginia
Radiology Society of North America
Society of Interventional Radiology
Alain T. Drooz, M.D.
University of North Carolina
New York University Medical Center
Completed 1988
New York University Medical Center
Body Imaging
Completed 1989
New York University Medical Center
Interventional Radiology
Completed 1990
American Board of Radiology
1989
American College of Radiology
Radiological Society of North America
Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology
Society of Vascular Medicine and Biology - Fellow
Fairfax County Medical Society
Top Doctor
Washingtonian Magazine
Northern Virginia Magazine
Aaron R. DuCoffe, M.D.
Emory University School of Medicine
Completed 2013
University of Florida College of Medicine
Orthopaedic Surgery
Completed 2014
Georgetown University Medical Center
Diagnostic Radiology
Completed 2019
United States Department of Health and Human Services
Healthcare Policy/Quality - Opioid Safety
Completed 2015
Emory University School of Medicine
Vascular & Interventional Radiology
Completed 2020
American Board of Radiology
Board Eligible 2021
Completed 2018
Radiology Society of North America
Society of Interventional Radiology
American College of Radiology
Reviewer for Pain Medicine
National Ski Patrol
Allen E. Joseph, M.D.
Boston University School of Medicine
Completed 1984
Northwestern University Hospitals
Diagnostic Radiology
Completed 1989
Northwestern University Hospitals
Angiography, Visceral Imaging and Interventional Radiology
Completed 1990
American Board of Radiology, 1989
Vascular and Interventional Radiology, 1998
American Roentgen Ray Society
Radiological Society of North America
American College of Radiology
Society of Cardiovascular and
Interventional Radiology
American Medical Association
Fairfax County Medical Society
Chesapeake Interventional Radiology
Society
Top Doctor
Arlingtonian Magazine
Northern Virginia Magazine
Washingtonian Magazine
Michael G. Karnaze, M.D.
University of Kansas School of Medicine
Completed 1982
Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology
Completed 1987
Alexandria Hospital
Interventional Radiology
Completed 1988
American Board of Radiology
Diagnostic Radiology 1987
Interventional Radiology 1995
Society of Cardiovascular and Interventional Radiology
Chesapeake Interventional Radiology Society (President 1996)
American Heart Association
American College of Radiology
Radiology Society of North America
American Roentgen Ray Society
Top Doctor
Washingtonian Magazine
Northern Virginia Magazine
Hong Lim, M.D.
University of Medicine & Dentistry
Completed 2001
University of Medicine & Dentistry
Completed 2006
Baptist Cardiac and Vascular Institute
Completed 2008
American Board of Radiology
2006
Radiological Society of North America
American College of Radiology
Society of Interventional Radiology
David J. Spinosa, M.D.
Tufts University School of Medicine
Completed 1984
Georgetown University Hospital
Radiology
Completed 1992
New England Deaconess Hospital
Surgery
Completed 1987
University of Virginia
Angiography and Interventional Radiology
Completed 1993
American Board of Radiology
Radiology - 1992
Angiography and Interventional Radiology - 1995
Society of Interventional Radiologists
American College of Radiology
Top Doctor
Washingtonian Magazine
Northern Virginia Magazine
Mustafa M. Syed, D.O.
New York College of Osteopathic Medicine
Completed 2011
Mount Sinai West Hospital Center
Completed 2016
Mount Sinai Hospital, Vascular and Interventional Radiology
Completed 2017
American Board of Radiology, 2017
Radiological Society of North America
American College of Radiology
American Board of Radiology
Society of Interventional Radiology
Jay D. Varma, M.D.
University of Maryland
Completed 1996
Boston University Medical Center
Completed 2001
Harvard Medical School
Completed 2002
American Board of Radiology
Radiology - 2001
Interventional Radiology - 2003
Cardiovascular and Interventional Society of Europe
Chesapeake Interventional Radiology Society
Medical Society of the District of Columbia
Society of Interventional Radiology
American Roentgen Ray Society
Radiological Society of North America
Top Doctor
Washingtonian Magazine
Northern Virginia Magazine
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