Are the most common procedures – Vertebroplasty and Kyphoplasty, for providing relief for spinal fractures are ineffective?
Vertebroplasty procedure involves inserting surgical cement into patient’s vertebrae to provide relief from spinal fractures due to osteoporosis. According to the studies published in New England Journal of Medicine, Vertebroplasty seem to be ineffective. The study published has resulted from through and meticulous tests reports on Vertebroplasty. During the tests performed, randomly selected patients were given Vertebroplasty procedure, while other patients were given a fake procedure where anesthetics where inserted instead of surgical cement. The test patients were followed for months to find out the results of both the procedures. The results that came up were pretty shocking. Patient groups with both the procedures, showed improvement and that too at the same pace. These results for Vertebroplasty and fake procedure test has raised doubts about the effectiveness of the genuine “Vertebroplasty” procedure.
Around 750, 000 Americans get such spinal fractures each year and according to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center orthopedic surgeon James Weinstein, each year Medicare pays for approximately 40,000 Vertebroplasty procedures at a cost of $3,000 or more. These new findings have not only raised doubts about the positives of the widely adopted procedure of Vertebroplasty but also has brought attention of experts towards effectiveness of a similar procedure of Kyphoplasty.
In kyphoplasty, a balloon is inflated to take up shape in the broken vertebrae of the patient and then surgical cement is inserted in to it. Kyphoplasty, as claimed by followers, not only relieves a patient of the pain due to fracture but also restores the height. With new findings, effectiveness of Kyphoplasty procedure is also under doubt. According to University of Washington neuroradiologist Jeffrey Jarvik, who worked on the trial - "It absolutely calls into question the benefit of kyphoplasty as well … There is no strong evidence" that kyphoplasty is better, even though it costs more.
Vertebroplasty was first pioneered in France and since 1990, has been followed in U.S. as treatment for spinal fracture pain. Kryphoplasty, in which a balloon is added, gained popularity recently.
Mayo Clinic interventional neuroradiologist David Kallmes, believes that the negative results has shown that the current form of Vertebroplasty practiced in U.S. and around the world needs to be worked upon. He further believes that Vertebroplasty procedure should be restricted to research trials for now.
Vertebroplasty has side effects of possible cement leakage and risk for future fractures. With recent findings, eyebrows are being raised at effectiveness of the procedure still; it is believed that patients will continue to opt for it.
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